Loving the Fox
by Tazaki4
Summary: Sequel to The Return of the Uzumaki. Naruto leads team to destroy Akatsuki for interupting his wedding. Akatsuki are getting desperate. What happens when Naruto unleashes the full power of the Kyuubi? NaruHina, more pairings become evident. M for blood.
1. Chapter 1

Hello again, all you fans of Naruto and Hinata! I return to you with a sequel to The Return of the Uzumaki. For those who are too lazy to read it here is a synopsis. Naruto comes back after five years. Naruto and Hinata get together. Chunin Exams. Itachi Uchiha dies. Orochimaru dies. Kyuubi dies. Naruto undergoes changes. Hinata and Naruto are pledged to get married. Coincidently, that is where I chose to begin this story. I will alter the story format slightly to be more understandable, no more huge blocks of text followed by evenly spaced lines of dialog. I will split stuff into nice sizes of text. Oh! And before I forget, this story is going to put some more focus on the bad guys, last time I didn't even give a real enemy to you until chapter 10ish! Meet the ultimate bad guy! A kitty cat! No… not really. Akatsuki time, folks. Naruto swore to hunt them down… but who is going to hunt who? A fox is a natural predator, but it is also prey…

Loving the Fox

Chapter 1: Happy Days

It wasn't every day that the people of Konoha had a chance to celebrate. The town had endured much more than most. An attack by a demon, an invasion of ninjas and giant snakes. Assassinations. Death. Loved ones lost and hearts broken. The sun rose and set on the town the same as any other day, but today… today was truly the beginning of something new. Bakers rose early in the morning the same as always, but with smiling eyes and love of life in their actions. Today they prepared for something special. Children rose early and could sense the excitement in the air. Smiles graced the faces of even the most serious people. The ninjas woke up knowing today they would be on a different kind of mission, one they would enjoy. Even Kakashi managed to wake to the sunrise this morning, with a smile hidden under his mask. The Hokage had refrained from drinking sake the night before just to be sure she would be fully awake for the day. Rock Lee, the great green beast of Konoha, had just finished his lap around the city on his hands and smiled at the sun. It was going to be a good day. He decided to just walk to his appointment, even the hardest working ninja could take a break on a day like today. Ten-ten threw her last shurikin into her target. As she looked at the rising sun she also smiled for a second before her face turned pale and she sprinted off. Shino sat in a tree, thinking to himself as the sun rose over the tree tops. He knew he would be needed soon for the day's events but the feeling of nature surrounding him was… peaceful. Choji and Shikamaru lay on their backs watching the few clouds dance in the deep blue of the sky right before the sun had fully risen. Shikamaru sighed. Times like this were certainly not troublesome at all… except when you needed to be somewhere. The entire town was waking to the sounds of cheerful birds. It was a day you couldn't help but smile about. Today was a day to be happy about. After all, it wasn't every day that the future Hokage of Konoha and the head of one of the most powerful clans in the town were to married. Even the branch members of the Hyuga household rose and smiled. After more years then many could count they had finally been freed. When Neji Hyuga stared into his mirror he touched his forehead. A forehead that until the past day had been sealed by a curse that was now as clear as that of anyone else's. Tears slid down his cheeks and he gave silent thanks to his cousin. Today he would tie his headband so that his forehead would show. For the first time in a long while a true, happy, smile appeared on his face. Every other member of the Hyuga branch family rose and did the same. The head of the clan, on the other hand, was still sleeping.

"Hinata? Hello, Hinata? Are you awake in there? If you aren't we are coming in right now!" The door to the clan head's room burst open and three girls flew in. Sakura ran over to the sleeping Hyuga and tried to wake her as Ino and Temari started getting stuff ready. "Hinata! Wake up or you are going to be LATE!" Hinata immediately sat up in her bed to see her friends around her. "What? What is it? What happened? I didn't do it. Huh? Oh…" Hinata then fell back onto her bed and began to sleep again. Sakura, Ino and Temari just stared at the girl, confused at the outburst. Ten-ten chose that time to run in almost breathless.

"Sorry I'm late! What should I do?" The three girls just pointed to the sleeping girl on her bed. "Oh, I guess I'm not late…" Ten-ten walked over and put her mouth next to Hinata's ear. "Hinata… wake up… Naruto is here…" Hinata sat up again, this time awake. "Naruto? Where is he?" The four girls giggled at Hinata as she stared at them in an attempt to figure out what was going on. "Oh… so he isn't here… wait… I am going to be late!" Hinata jumped out of bed and was instantly grabbed by the four girls who threw her into the waiting shower. "Sakura, do you think she is ready for this?"

"Temari is, and if Lee asked me I know I would probably say yes… I think anyone can be ready as long as they are really in love."

"Yeah…" Ino remembered the one she had thought she loved. _Sasuke is gone now and he really didn't love anyone. I kinda like Choji… but he is not like Sasuke._ Ten-ten had her own man in her mind. _Maybe I will get a chance to dance with Neji today…_ "Now, let's get her ready for this and then get ourselves ready."

Naruto was nervous. Not that he thought he would get up there and forget to say I do. Not that he thought she would say no. He was nervous about the fact that it was taking a lot out of his focus to think about Hinata. He had already let his genjutsu slip twice now. Lukily no one had been around when that had happened, but if it happened in the ceremony he was sure he would regret it. To a person passing by it would look like a yellow haired kid in Hokage robes suddenly sprouted nine tails and then suddenly he would look normal again. _Damn… Hinata loves me for who I am and my friends would probably be ok with it too, but the average townsperson would probably see a very stark reminder of the Kyuubi. Funny, how that is exactly what I am now anyway…_ Naruto sighed as he watched his best friends arrive in their own suits. Gaara, his best man and friend, stood by his side with his arms crossed as usual. His mouth, though, was not in its perpetual frown. Gaara had a smile that was as rare as a diet by Choji on his face. Lee, one of Naruto's former rivals for Sakura and one of his greatest friends, had just arrived and was beaming about the springtime of youth. Naruto mentally noted to keep him away from the sake. Shikamaru was lying against the wall of the room and staring into space. He was having his own trouble concentration on anything but his betrothed, but he didn't need to hold up a complicated genjutsu. Neji finally entered bearing another smile Naruto had never seen before. _Everyone here is so happy. Just hold enough concentration to keep this on and you will be good._ Tsunade had told him that it would eventually become like breathing or his heart beat, he had enough chakra for it. His chakra replenished faster then he used it up. Right now, though, multitasking was out of the question. _Think of only two things, ok. Think of three and the illusion goes down._ Naruto gave another sigh. _You would think that marrying the girl of my dreams would be easier…_

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Your orders stand, take it out. Collateral damage is fine."

"It will be done." 

Hinata was ready. Well, she was ready in body if not in mind._ This is it! What am I going to do, what if I forget what to say, what happens if I accidentally step on his tails, what if I pass out, what if I trip on my outrageously long gown, what if…"_ Sakura reached over and grabbed her hand, which had been getting gnawed on. "Hinata, stop that! Everything is going to be fine. You will be fine, don't worry about it. You two were made for each other and you will do absolutely fine! Hey, and even if you don't, how much do you think Naruto will care? He loves you more then life itself, he even told me so." "Thank you, Sakura. I needed that."

Naruto swished his invisible tails in anticipation. He was ready and in place, along with his best men. The seats in the massive courtyard of his clan's complex were almost completely filled. Literally everyone in the city was there. His friends stood next to him or sat in the front row of the seats. Choji had even left his trademark bag of chips and was sitting patiently for the reception afterwards. Shino, though not usually one for large group situations, had taken a seat next to Choji. Naruto suddenly saw exactly what he had been waiting for at the back of the seats. Everyone stood as the music began to play. It was all Naruto could do to not walk back and carry his bride up to the front himself. He knew Hiashi wouldn't like that, though. Sakura walked up first, followed by Ino, Ten-ten, and Temari. It wasn't until Temari stood across from Shikamaru that Hinata appeared with her father on her arm. Naruto smiled brightly as she walked up the aisle. She wore a dress that was oddly the same color of her eyes. It wasn't exactly white, though one wouldn't be able to truly call it lilac, either. It seemed to glimmer in the sun almost as much as her smile as she walked. Hinata finally arrived next to Naruto and her father passed her arm to him. Naruto led her up to the Hokage and they both stood in silence. Naruto managed to glance down towards his bride as she was glancing up. He had an urge to bend down and kiss her then, but held off, knowing that he would get his chance later. "Friends, citizens and shinobi of Konoha, I would like to personally thank you all for coming. We are gathered together..." The service went on, Hinata at one time nearly breaking out in laughter as Naruto tickled her under her chin with a tail no one could see. Naruto couldn't help but smile when he heard her laugh. It was nearly at the end of the ceremony when his smile suddenly broke. His face grew suddenly serious, which worried Hinata for a moment until Naruto gave her a reassuring smile. When those long awaited words came they were both ready. But Naruto was ready for something different then Hinata was. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the briwhat the HELL!" Tsunade yelled the last part as Naruto suddenly began charging up a ball of chakra in his hand. "Naruto, what are you doing?" Hinata was worried, her husband was just staring into space. He suddenly disappeared. No one had any idea what was going on. The jonin scattered around the area suddenly also perked up as they sensed a massive chakra signature. Suddenly a body flew into the ceremony area out of the ground and was closely followed by Naruto. Naruto grabbed the man by his robe marking him as an Akatsuki.

"What the hell are you doing here, demon hunter!"

"Killing you!" The man performed a hand sign. Naruto instantly knew what had been going on. "Bastard!" Naruto performed his own hand sign as the man kicked the ground. A large explosion from several miles away was suddenly seen. The Akatsuki was suddenly gaping at the now singed Naruto holding him by the throat. "Won't you idiots get it through your damn heads that I am not easy to kill! You are no Itachi and he didn't even stand a chance against me!" Naruto suddenly slammed the man's head into the ground, knocking him unconscious. "Tsunade, can someone take this guy away. I don't like it when people try to kill my friends. Now, I think I had something to do before we were so rudely interrupted." Naruto appeared next to his smiling wife and pulled her into his kiss and embrace. The members of the audience that knew of Naruto's strength and had already seen it in action applauded and cheered. Some of the people there couldn't even comprehend what had just happened. Tsunade grabbed the Akatsuki member by the back of his robe and turned to face the joined populace of Konoha. "Everyone who wants can go to the reception. Anko, you want to take this fool to his new place of residence?"

"Yes, Hokage!"

"Alright, now all of you enjoy the day!" Naruto still hadn't broken away from his kiss with Hinata. It wasn't until the voice of Konohamaru came over the noise of people heading towards the reception that they finally broke away. "Hey, Naruto! Aren't you going to let her breathe?" Naruto stopped and looked into the bright eyes of Hinata. "Nah, I live and breathe Naruto anyway…" Hinata grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down into another kiss. Gaara couldn't help but stare. _Well Naruto. If this is what friendship leads to I guess I could get a few more friends…_ Lee escorted Sakura down the aisle and out the front gate of the Uzimaku complex, followed by Shikamaru and Temari and Ino, who was running after a very enthusiastic Choji. Gaara decided he should leave when the bride and groom still didn't move from their spot. Neji and Ten-ten were the only ones left with the couple.

"Neji… I heard you were able to have the caged bird seal removed… congratulations… um…"

"Thank you, Ten-ten. I have never felt as good as I have felt today." Neji smiled at her, causing her to blush.

"Neji… I… am happy for you… you... are you going to the reception?" Neji stared at her like she had asked him if he was a man.

"Yes, why wouldn't I go?"

"I… I didn't mean it like that. Um… if it was ok with you I kinda wanted to know if you would like to… dance with me?" Ten-ten prepared herself for eminent rejection.

"Why not?" Ten-ten's eyes lit up. "Really?" "Yes, I am in a dancing mood." Ten-ten smiled at him and they walked off towards the reception. Only a few seconds after they left Hinata and Naruto broke apart. Naruto released his genjutsu and curled a tail around his bride. "You know, I wanted to kiss you before getting that guy, but I couldn't risk that kiss being our last."

"Naruto, I understand. Now, if you had left during the vows I would have probably been a little mad…"

"My Hinata? Mad? I have yet to see it!"

"You just chose to not see my flaws."

"Flaws? What are you talking about?"

"Naruto, I think I love you."

"Well I should hope so! I blew a ton of cash getting the food for the reception." They started laughing before Naruto picked her up. "Come on, they are probably waiting for us. Can't be missing the guest of honor!"

"Don't you mean guests?"

"No. You and I are inseparable now. That whole thing about till death do us part? We are one now."

"Well, I guess things could be worse…"

"Things couldn't get better…" Hinata smiled up at his face with her arms around his neck. She leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Naruto, this is the happiest day of my life."

"Really? Mine too! Bet ya mine is happier then yours!"

"Nope…" Hinata kissed him again. "Now let's get to this party so I can introduce you to my extended family…"

"Ouch, I guess you would win that bet."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This chapter took me a long while to write because I don't exactly know how to imagine people celebrating in Japan… but here it goes, a first attempt! So, there is going to be another fight, but then a few chaps of peace so I don't action you all out. I kind of did most of the char. development in the last story, so I am searching for strings here. Akatsuki are back, yo! Forgot, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 2: Taking the World

Naruto and Hinata arrived at the Hyuga manor to find their wedding reception already in full swing. A few of their friends were dancing to music while Choji filled a plate five feet high with food. Might Guy had been required to knock Lee unconscious after Lee had gotten a hold of some sake. He was now slung over Guy's shoulder while Guy talked with random people passing by about the fires of youth. Neji and Ten-ten were seen dancing, a sight that not one of the rookie nine or team Guy had ever seen. Neji was even smiling, not sneering, and Ten-ten was giggling. Not one person there had the gall to be sad or angry. Even the Hyugas from the main family, who had just had their power over the branch family taken away, were feasting and drinking and laughing as if life couldn't have been better. Naruto and Hinata managed to meet every person that had come after hours of walking around. Naruto was bored to death, but as future Hokage he knew that this information would be at least beneficial. Naruto bore through the countless introductions, trying not to accidentally sweep someone off their feet with his tails.

"You are such a cute couple! If I was sixty years younger, I would have married him myself!" Naruto gave an embarrassed smile to the old woman in front of him. Hinata was standing behind him and trying not to bust out laughing as Naruto was swept off his feet to dance with the wrinkled old lady. Naruto made the best of it, though, and eventually just picked her up and spun her around to the music.

"Whoa… that was quite a dance! This one is quite a looker, missy. Don't let anyone steal him away!"

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem." Naruto slid his arm around Hinata's shoulder. "I don't think anyone could possibly steal me away from Hinata…"

"Attention." Suddenly a quiet voice silenced the entire room. Gaara stood at his table with a small cup of sake in his hand. "I am supposed to toast Naruto… I don't know what that should mean… so I will just say what they told me when I became Kazekage… good luck and don't die to fast." Gaara lifted his cup before draining it. Everyone just stared at him as he sat back down._ Gaara… certainly has a way with words… _Suddenly Lee rose from his place on Guy's shoulder. "YES, AND MAY HIS FIRE OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!!!"As soon as he said this he was once again unconscious.

Hiashi Hyuga approached his daughter as she watched Naruto talk with some of the towns folk. He put his hand on her shoulder from behind. "Daughter, I hope you are happy."

"Father, I am as happy as I have ever been!"

"It is too bad, then, that it must all end here."

"What?" Hinata spun around suddenly to find not her father, but a man in the garb of an Akatsuki. Everyone in sight was stunned by the sudden appearance. The man used this time to perform his jutsu. "Water Style: Chakra Ice Bonds!" The man touched his hands to the floor which instantly became completely covered in ice. Most of the shinobi in the room had already recovered by the time the ice was down. Naruto was the first to attack. Or at least he tried. The instant he did the hand sign for his time alteration jutsu the ice at his feet spread up over his body and coated it completely. Most of the other powerful shinobi in the area also found the same fate. Hinata, who had attempted to get into a juken stance, had felt the ice creeping up with every ounce of chakra she put out. She immediately stopped and only her feet were encased in the ice. Just as she was about to try to break free the roof exploded above her. Instantly twenty more ninja in Akatsuki robes fell into the room. Unlike the ninja holding everyone in place, a mist ninja, these ninja were all wearing hidden rock head bands. Naruto saw out of his ice prison enough to know there were too many. _I was told there were only nine of them! There should only be six left, so where did these guys come from…_ Naruto was silently thanking his instincts, if he had left his tails down on the floor the ice would most defiantly not look like it was containing a human, instead it just looked like a huge ice block, with his tails against his back. Hinata was only feet away from the ninja who had used the ice jutsu._ If I could just break his concentration for a moment._ Hinata used all her strength and flexibility as she lunged forward from the waist and punched the mist ninja in the face. He went flying into another ninja, but to Hinata's surprise the ice did not go away.

"You little…" The mist ninja got up and wiped blood from his mouth. "What? Did you think by breaking my concentration you could free your friends. Not happening, girl. This jutsu hardly needs me at all once it has started. It just feeds off of the chakra of its prisoners. Whenever someone here tries to use a jutsu, my ice steals the chakra they focus and uses it to increase in strength and volume! It has already absorbed enough from your initial "attack" that it can run without me for minutes!" Now he was back in front of Hinata. He backhanded her across the face hard enough to almost spin her around and break her ankles. Only her years of training stopped her from cracking her head on the ice. She managed to break her fall by putting her arms behind her. _If only I can keep him from continuing his jutsu for another few minutes. _She pushed herself back up and through her arm in a chop towards his neck. But, as fast as Hinata was, the mist ninja caught her hand in his.

"Huh? Still want to fight? Well, I can't say I feel like obliging you… you are too pretty for me to kill. But, on the other hand, what kind of man would I be if I didn't take advantage of a situation like this…"

"Fool! Stick to the plan!"

"Shut up!" The mist ninja kneed one of the other ninja's in the gut and let his body collapse to the ground. "I do what I damn well please! Now where were we…" Hinata was getting frightened. She had not bargained on fighting a pervert!_ Not now! I… Naruto…_ Naruto wasn't too happy about it either. From his place in his ice block he couldn't hear anything, but saw the look in the ninja's eyes just the same._ Oh no. This guy must have a death wish. If he so much as touches her… oh wait, he already did._ Naruto could feel his advanced henge start to slide, and immediately concentrated before he was visible to the world. _Don't lose focus. Just kill him._ Hinata was about ready to scream as the mist ninja's hand slowly came closer to her body. She threw a jab in desperation but it was caught. She threw her other fist, but the man caught it in the same hand as her other hand. A wicked smile was on his face as his free hand came up to caress her face.

"I don't plan on hurting you, pretty lady. I just want to have some fun. You wouldn't stop someone from having their fun, would ya?" Hinata closed her eyes and used all of her strength to try to get free. _No… this can't happen! Not on my wedding day!_ Hinata suddenly heard something that sounded like music to her ears. The cracking of ice. Hinata used all of her strength to break loose her right leg from the ice. She surprised the mist ninja with a kick to the side of his head, sending him flying into two rock ninja.

"What the hell? I though you said she would be trapped!"

"She should have be…" The ninja was never able to finish his sentence. Naruto Uzimaku, the future sixth Hokage, had broken free. The entire crowd was in shock as the mist ninja fell to the ground along with the two ninjas that had been holding him… with a hole over a half meter in diameter through their chests. Naruto was standing beyond and looking with blue slitted eyes at the remaining eighteen ninjas in the room.

"I don't care who you are. If you were the most powerful demon lord in existence I would not let you touch my wife and get away with it." Naruto vanished again, this time appearing behind a group of four rock ninja, three with the large gaping hole in their body, one with his head severed completely from his body. "You like to think you are tough? What, are the Akatsuki hiring genin to do their dirty work now that Itachi is dead?" Naruto grabbed five kunai that had been aimed for his head with one finger and began to twirl them. "Or are you all just weak to begin with." Naruto returned the kunai to the senders at a speed not even Kakashi, with his sharingan eye revealed, could track. They pierced the hearts of five ninja, and the stomach of one who had been behind one of Naruto's targets.

"I guess that I should keep a few of you for interrogation... maybe one." Naruto vanished again, this time every remaining rock ninja fell to the ground, only one with his body mainly intact. Naruto's eyes went back to normal, though no one had even noticed the subtle change of his iris shape. "Hinata! Are you ok?" Hinata had fallen down after her kick and the ice around her other ankle had finally melted.

"I… I am fine…" Hinata looked like she as about to cry anyway. It wasn't every day that your wedding day was attacked, not once, but twice by ninjas trying to kill your husband or molest you. Naruto knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She dug her face into his shoulder as she began to weep. Most of the town people knew that it was probably a good sign to leave. As Tsunade passed by the couple she whispered into Naruto's ear. "We will need to interrogate them tonight. I think you should probably be there. 9:00 in my office." Naruto glanced up at her in surprise. "Postpone your wedding night till these bastards are taken care of." Naruto knew she was right, he couldn't even sleep if the Akatsuki might attack at any time. Not that Naruto needed a lot of sleep anymore. It was Jiriya who noticed the only abnormal thing that happened that day. Blood, from out of nowhere, would suddenly appear behind Naruto ever few seconds. _What the hell? I think some one has some explaining to do…_


	3. Chapter 3

I DON"T OWN NARUTO... there I said it...

Chapter 3: Information

Naruto clones ran around the Hyuga clan complex, trying to clean up after the reception. Hundreds of Narutos scrubbed away the pools of blood that had left large stains in the hard wood floors. It would be a reminder for ages to come of the atrocities of the Akatsuki. The real Naruto knelt upside down on the ceiling, cleaning up the remains of an unfortunate ninja. _Why would they choose to attack me now? Do they know about the Kyuubi? The first was obviously trying to kill me, and the second group tried to capture me… their strategy has changed and I can't find a reason why. _Naruto was lost in his thoughts as he tried to lessen the stain of the blood on the wood._ Will it ever stop? Those ninja… they could have been the brothers and fathers of people I don't even know, but they tried to hurt my family because of the Akatsuki… I need to put an end to this. If I don't then they will keep coming after me, and I will not risk Hinata like that! It is time I finished those bastards off!_ Naruto was scrubbing the wood hard enough to make a groove in it. Hinata watched as her husband's movements became more and more frantic.

"Naruto…"

"Yeah." Naruto didn't stop.

"I think that spot is clean…" Naruto finally saw what had become of the beam he had been cleaning. It was visibly thinner then the rest. He looked at his now splinter filled and bloody hand. In seconds the wounds were gone and the splinters fell out on their own. Naruto sighed._ Damn it. If only that fox had never shown up. But then I probably wouldn't be the person that Hinata loves… _Naruto smiled down from his place above Hinata._ Nah, I'll take this life. I just need to get rid of the ones who would hurt her._ Naruto fell down from the ceiling and landed on his feet in front of Hinata. She looked worried.

"Is something wrong, Hinata?"

"N… no, I am fine, Naruto. I was worried about you. What were you thinking about?"

"… Oh, it was nothing…"

"Naruto…" Hinata looked down at the floor. "We are married now, you can trust me…" Naruto suddenly realized exactly what he had just done. _No, I have to tell her. She deserves to know._

"Sorry Hinata. I didn't mean it like that… I was thinking about how everything has changed for the worse. Not that we got married, because that is a good change. A very good change. I was thinking about how the Akatsuki's strategies have changed. How they are going to keep after me until either I die or they get me. I don't think that they can get the Kyuubi anymore, but they probably don't know that. Someone needs to take them out for good if we are to have any sort of lasting peace."

"You are the perfect man for the job, Naruto." Hinata hugged her husband. She loved him unconditionally. If he wanted to confide in her, she would support him. "If anyone would be capable of getting rid of a clan of S-ranked ninjas out to kill him it would be you. You know that is one of the reasons why I love you so much." Naruto enveloped his bride in a kiss.

"I need to go to the interrogation tonight. Information might come up that can lead me to the Akatsuki."

"Just promise me… you won't go after them alone." Naruto kept smiling but inside he was in turmoil. _If anyone went with me they would just get hurt… but for Hinata…_

"I promise." Hinata smiled again, this time at the sheer joy of being with Naruto. She began to blush. "Hinata, are you ever going to not blush when I am with you?" Naruto laughed at that. "I know I said you are beautiful when you do that, but you are when you don't too." Hinata couldn't help but love him.

"Naruto, I don't know if I will ever stop blushing around you, but I know that if I do it will just be another part of me you helped change for the better."

"Now Hinata, give yourself some credit. You changed yourself, I mean, you totally smashed that loser today! I didn't do that, you did. You need to realize that I am not the only ninja in my clan anymore. You can say that I helped you change all the time, but it was you who made the change. No one else has made the effort you have to change. You used to be a shy girl that couldn't even talk to me or hope to defeat higher level ninjas. But now you have self confidence. Now you could beat a jonin with your eyes closed. You rock, Hinata. And that is one of the reasons I love you."

"Thank you, Naru."

"No problem, Hina."

* * *

"Sir, the two teams sent to Konoha have not reported back. Kisame reported seeing them being wiped out by the Kyuubi container in a very mysterious way. It appears as if he not only defeated Itachi, but Orochimaru by skill. No luck involved." 

"… are there anymore takers on the… bounty…"

"Two ninjas, S-rank in the bingo book, have applied for the job. They are both members of the seven legendary mist swordsmen."

"… give… them the information they need… offer double for live capture…"

"Yes sir."

"… why have you not left yet…"

"There was one other thing about the Kyuubi container, sir. It appears that the vessel has married a ninja from his village."

"…what?"

"The vessel performed a marriage ceremony with a young woman."

"… interesting… a demon being loved… no… the people of Konoha must be attempting to breed his power…"

"Sir?"

"Go… do as I say…"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Naruto arrived at ANBU headquarters late in the evening. He was guided by two masked ninja into a sealed room. Only two people were in this room as he entered. The door was immediately shut and sealed behind him. Tsunade and Jiriya turned to face him as he stepped towards the pitiful figures in front of him. Three men in Akatsuki robes were tied by their necks to the ceilings, walls and floors. The rope was made to absorb chakra, just enough to keep the captured at near death level. On one side knelt the man Naruto had knocked unconscious at is wedding. The other side held the man Naruto had spared from death at the reception. In the middle, in a chair bolted to the floor, was a man with one leg and no arms. A blindfold covered his eyes, assuring that his last remaining ability was never put in use again. 

"Uchiha Itachi… I see you lived through the injuries I gave you."

"Yes." Tsunade stepped forward to interrogate him.

"Any desire to tell us where your main headquarters are?"

"No."

"Well, if you won't I can assure you that these two on either side of you will."

"They are not members of the Akatsuki. They won't know."

"Hmm… are you so sure of that. After you disappeared they have changed their tactics."

"No mere criminal would be given the information that you seek."

"So you say…" The two on either side of Itachi tried to back away from Naruto. They had no idea that this kid was strong enough to do that to Itachi Uchiha. Naruto stepped up to the bomber from that morning.

"You. Why did you attack us?"

"You ain't getting shit out of me." The man sneered. _The kid might be tough, but these simple folks would never kill a prisoner._

"Really, what if I told you that if you don't tell me everything you know, that I would kill you."

"You wouldn't kill me."

"Really? Willing to bet on that?"

"I'd bet my life on it."

"I'll take that bet, then." Naruto instantly released his genjutsu, revealing his true form. Jiriya fell to the ground in shock. He had thought something like this might have happened. The blood dripping out of nowhere had been a hint that Naruto was hiding something, but this was… unreal. Naruto stood before the now afraid ninja at his full six foot two height. His hair now had silver tips, as did the nine tails that were whipping around like they had their own will. A few of the tails had red tips, which Jiriya assumed was the blood of the ninjas with large holes in their chests. Naruto's ears were pointed, and his eyes were slit. His nails on his hands and feet had extended and become as sharp as an excellent kunai. Naruto was now only inches away from the man's face.

"So, one chance, what do you know?"

"I… I… won't tell you anything!"

"Wrong answer." Naruto cleaved the man's head from his shoulders to the amazement of everyone in the room. Tsunade spoke up. "Naruto, calm down."

"Calm down? Oh, sure. I'll calm down. I am calm right now. I just killed that guy with perfect calmness. Let's just call it animal instinct that when someone attempts to hurt what I love, I end the threat."

"He wasn't a threat, Naruto."

"Well, he isn't anymore…" Naruto's whisker marks on his face grew a little less pronounced. "Sorry…" Naruto then looked at the other ninja, the one from the reception. "You, do you want to bet your life also?"

"No! Please don't kill me! I have a wife and a daughter!" The man was weeping, knowing in his heart that he was as good as dead. He had never seen a demon, but he knew that what was before him was as close as they came.

"You… you were that one…"

"_Huh? Still want to fight? Well, I can't say I feel like obliging you… you are too pretty for me to kill. But, on the other hand, what kind of man would I be if I didn't take advantage of a situation like this…"_

"_Fool! Stick to the plan!"_

"_Shut up!" The mist ninja kneed one of the other ninja's in the gut and let his body collapse to the ground. "I do what I damn well please! Now where were we…" _

"You were that one that attempted to stop the mist ninja from molesting Hinata. Alright. I have a new deal for you. Because you stood up for my wife in even the smallest way, I will grant you life. Now, if you tell me everything you know about the people who gave you your assignment… we will let you return to your family." Tsunade and Jiriya knew that what Naruto was preposing was very illegal. They kept there mouths shut, though.

"You… you would do that for me? But I can't! If I get free they will find me and kill me and my family!"

"No, they won't. I am going to kill them all as soon as I find them. Any information you have will let me find them faster. As soon as they are destroyed then you will be set free. Technically the only laws you broke were breaking and entering. You didn't kill anyone, didn't even use a jutsu. If you desire, after a period of probation you might even be allowed to become a ninja of Konoha. We don't send ninja's to assassinate people on their wedding day."

"… ok… I will tell you… There was a man. He came to our village dressed in this garb. He was carrying an enormous sword wrapped in bandages. His face… it was not fully human. He offered the pay rate of an S-ranked mission for what he called a "simple bounty". He said that he would pay the person or people who killed a jonin from Konoha an enormous sum of money. If they brought him back alive, then the amount quadrupled. Even with the twenty-one of us, the money split evenly would have been enough for us to retire in luxury for the rest of our lives. I had to take the mission; our town had not been receiving many missions. I agreed, the only requirement to the mission was that we all wear these robes. So we came. And then you destroyed us. Completely."

"The man who gave the mission. Where did he come from and what did his face look like?"

"He said he came from the land of mist, which was strange because he entered our land from the opposite direction, the land of sound. His face, it was strange. He had a bluish face with marks like yours on it. Sharp teeth, all of them. He had a partner with him, now that I remember. He never spoke. His face, was interesting to say the least. It was half pure white and half black. His clothing looked like he had enormous jaws coming over his head. Sometimes we would catch him mumbling to himself, but most of us just thought he was crazy."

"You said they came from sound?"

"Yeah, or that was the land they had just come from when they came to the land of stone."

"Thank you." Naruto activated his genjutsu again, once again becoming the Naruto Jiriya had known for six years. Naruto walked to the door, followed closely by the two sennin. As they came near they heard the ninja on the other side releasing the seals. The door swung open as Naruto reached it, and all three left the room, leaving the two prisoners with a corpse.

"Naruto, I must know. When did… that… happen?" Jiriya had been more then surprised to see his apprentice resembling a fox.

"I happened after I killed Orochimaru."

"Tsunade told me about the fight. But… how?"

"She probably didn't mention that Orochimaru summoned my father to fight me, did she?" Jiriya had most certainly not heard that. He glanced over at the Hokage, who was now frowning in her own thoughts. "No, she didn't…"

"Orochimaru's jutsu made it impossible for me to kill him. He would get hit with a fatal wound, only to repair himself faster and better then Kabuto can. I… I used…"

"You used the Reaper Death Seal…"

"Yes, but when it came for my soul, the Kyuubi… it sacrificed its life for mine."

"In return for taking all of its chakra into you."

"Yeah… wait, how did you know that?"

"Because, Naruto. There was no way that the death god would have been able to take the Kyuubi with its power. The death god is a lesser bijuu then the Kyuubi. The only way what you said happened could happen was if the Kyuubi gave up its status as the Kyuubi, leader of the fox demons. Have you tried summoning anything yet?"

"Yes, once…"

"Let me guess, a fox came instead of a frog."

"Right."

"So my apprentice is the new nine tailed demon lord and future Hokage of Konoha… yep, if things got any weirder Itachi Uchiha would be asking Sakura on a date."

"It could get weirder."

"How?"

"If Sakura agreed to go on the date. Really, I don't mind the change. Hinata likes it. If only it was easier to hold this genjutsu on. I am not great at genjutsu."

"No, you're not."

"Thanks for the encouragement…" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and playfully hit Jiriya over the head with an invisible tail. Jiriya has knocked into a wall by the strength of the hit. "Oops…" Tsunade had finally finished thinking.

"Naruto, I have an S-rank mission for you. Come to my office tomorrow morning early. Jiriya, you come too… damn it." Jiriya was unconscious and drooling on the floor, mumbling about women.

"Sure thing, Granny Tsunade."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Ok, old lady…" Naruto found himself flying out of the roof of the ANBU headquarters. _Man, she sure gets angry over the stupidest things. _

Naruto arrived at his home to find all of the lights off except his bedroom's. _I almost forgot, I got married today._ Naruto smiled as he entered his room to find it occupied. Hinata was sleeping peacefully in her nightgown, smiling in her sleep. _I couldn't wake up an angle like that… besides, if I startle her she might juken me in my sleep._ Naruto climbed into his bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

"Naruto, good. You're not late." 

"When am I ever late, Tsunade?"

"Literally every other day. Now here is the mission. You are to leave Konoha today, at the earliest possible time, and find and eliminate the Akatsuki threat to Konoha. This mission is yours, but I am requiring that two people go with you. Jiriya and Shizune are coming with you. Jiriya because he is a pain in the ass here most of the time and Shizune because you need to continue your Hokage training if you are to become one. The last spot is up to you." Shizune, who had been listening at the door, burst in and pointed an accusing finger at the Hokage.

"You are just tying to get me out of here so you don't have to do any paper work while I am gone! WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO WAKE YOU UP WITHOUT ME?" Tsunade smiled innocent way before a reasonable answer popped into her head.

"If you don't go, then I guess that I will have to. So I guess you can stay here and do all the paperwork yourself…"

"I'll go!" Jiriya still had a headache from the day before. All this yelling was hurting his brain.

"Naruto… we will be waiting at the town gates in thirty minutes. Be ready." Naruto nodded as he jumped out the window. _I wonder who my last teammate should be… actually I don't think I have much of a choice. Hinata would go with me whether I liked it or not._


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I went back in the story and corrected some things, altered some sentences, added some content. I would recomend going over the first three chapters again to see the updated story, but not much has changed so it isn't necessary. I don't own Naruto. Also, I have come to a new revelation, I have at least three more stories to write after this one, not any related to this. The next I plan to work on is another Naru/Hina, slightly different change in the story line. I also have an idea for tenten/naruto, sorry naru/hina fans. The way I m getting out of breaking Hinata's heart is I am changing the very begining of the story, Hinata has never even heard of Naruto in this story, and the Hyugas won't play a big part at all, except for being mentioned. Ok, that is the plan. Here is chap 4, I am leading up to another fight, the first one Naruto will have to work for. Enjoy.

Chapter 4: Memories

_Damn it. Why is everything so dang complicated?_ Naruto was standing at the city gates getting lectured by Jiriya. He was no longer wearing his robes giving to him by Tsunade marking him as the future Hokage, but instead wore a white t-shirt under a blue jacket. His orange pants had been traded in for light brown ones. If Jiriya had not been telling him off, he might have noticed that Naruto looked like a mirror image of his father, with fox whisker marks on his cheeks. "Jiriya, Hinata and Sakura are both coming with us. I don't care if that makes us a five man team. No one here has the strength that Sakura has and there is no way I am going to leave Hinata here alone the day after I got married to be attacked by more Akatsuki! If you are so worried about the effectiveness of our team, maybe you should stay behind." Jiriya sighed. There was no dealing with him like this. _So much like his father…_ Jiriya finally relented.

"Ok, fine. We are all going. And going now. Ready?"

"Yeah, but I think I am team leader on this one, Jiriya."

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." He leaned over to Shizune. "He thinks that just because he could beat everyone here to a pulp that it makes him a better leader…"

"I heard that." Naruto started walking out the gate, Hinata holding his hand on one side and Sakura walking on his other. Jiriya laughed and was about to say something about sticking to one women, but Shizune saw it coming and smacked him in the head, causing him to fall on his face. She started after the friends, dragging the perverted sennin along the ground by his leg.

* * *

Naruto and his team had been walking for hours with Shizune reading to the Hokage-in-training from a diplomatic book, explaining the relationships with other lands and ways to change them. Hinata was just enjoying the time with Naruto's hand in hers. Suddenly a soft, furry something began brushing against her leg. It wasn't just a passing brush either. It was constantly brushing up and down her leg, going almost dangerously high. Hinata stifled a giggle. It was very ticklish… very, very ticklish. She looked at Naruto to see him facing backwards and nodding intently towards Shizune. Hinata was barely keeping her laughter in check, but then one of the tails brushing against her went slightly slower then it had been, slow and sliding. Another tail joined it, just barely tickling her under her shirt in the small of her back. She had given up wearing her trademark coat after… well actually it was just yesterday. Instead she was wearing just a pair of black shorts, a black shirt and a dark purple jonin style vest. This newest feeling of the second tail caused Hinata to crack. Hinata was suddenly on her knees laughing hysterically. Sakura, Jiriya, and Shizune just stared at the young woman that couldn't stop laughing. Sakura had never even seen Hinata laugh like this._ The most I have even seen her do is a shy little giggle with her hand on her mouth._ Naruto smiled. 

"Well, I guess I will have to carry her."

"Naruto, stay back! It might be some new form of enemy jutsu!"

"Sakura, I think I will take my chances…" Naruto picked her up bridal style, and almost instantly Hinata stopped laughing and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, bringing him down for a kiss.

"See, she was probably just laughing at when Shizune said that one thing about how shinobi need to never show emotion." Hinata giggled at him. Jiriya knew what had probably been going on, but while he knew Naruto's secret he wasn't going to tell Sakura and Shizune without his permission.

"Naruto, if you and your wife are done now we should keep moving." Sakura walked up next to Hinata as Naruto fell back towards the still lecturing Shizune.

"Hinata, what was that all about?"

"Oh… um… Naruto was… rubbing… my hand…" Hinata blushed, not knowing what to say. Sakura just stared at her, not knowing what was so funny or even ticklish about that._ Maybe it is one of those things mama always says I'll understand when I fall in love…_ Sakura was suddenly lost in thought about Lee while Hinata sent a fake glare towards the back of Naruto's head.

"Hinata, how did you meet Naruto? I mean, I know you had a crush on him for years, but when did you actually meet him. I had never known him before the ninja academy, but I remember that you blushed at him on the first day." Naruto turned around and started waling forward again, he also wanted to hear her story.

"Well, I met Naruto a few days before my fifth birthday. I was playing on the playground by myself… some kids walked up to the swing I was on and pushed me off. I remember that I started to cry a little, but before I had time to run away the leader of the bullies was on the ground with a bloody nose. I stopped crying and looked up at my savior. That was the first time I saw Naruto. He just smiled at me and said, "Hi, my name is Naruto Uzumaki and I am going to be Hokage one day! Don't be sad, you're too pretty to be sad!" Instantly, I felt better. Naruto was soon chased off by the bullies and I left to go home. In the few days later I met Naruto and we swung on the swings together. I never even spoke to him, I was too shy. After I was… almost kidnapped... I was forced to stay inside the clan's complex. I never forgot Naruto, though. Besides my mother, Naruto was the only person to ever call me pretty or care about whether or not I cried." Naruto remembered those times on the swings. He remembered running back to the Third Hokage on that day that he had started swinging with her and yelling at the top of his lungs that he had found a friend. The Third had merely smiled. Naruto had been crushed when he had arrived some days later and, for the first time, his nameless friend who would always sit and listen to him go on about his plans and dreams had disappeared. But Naruto had lost that memory along with many others over the years, painful memories that he never cared to remember. He hadn't even recognized Hinata when she and him were in the same academy class._ Man, I didn't know that she was my first friend and also, now, my lifelong friend._ Naruto smiled at the thought. It was strange how things like that happened.

"Hinata, Sakura, do you want to hear my favorite memory of Hinata?" Sakura said sure, though Hinata was sure she would blush at whatever he said.

"It was that mission we went on to go find the scent bug to find Sasuke. I remember many things that happened on that trip. There was when Hinata used her own technique that she had designed herself to defeat the bug users. There was when she actually found the bug. There was at the end, when Hinata didn't get mad at me for ruining the mission. But my favorite memory I have of Hinata is when we were on our way there. We had pitched camp early, and I was out. I woke in the middle of the night to go pee. When I was out there, though, I saw something I did not expect. Hinata's clothes." Hinata let out a squeak of embarrassment at realizing exactly what memory he was referring to. "I had no idea what was going on, but suddenly a figure appeared on the stream nearby, right next to a waterfall. The light was horrible, so I couldn't see anything but I knew it had to be Hinata. The figure danced on the stream and as she did the water flowed up and around her to the motion of her hands. In the end, the figure was inside of a sphere of water droplets that shined like diamonds. It was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Completely without thinking I started walking out to tell her how beautiful her dance had been, forgetting the fact that I had seen her clothes back on a rock. I slipped and fell into the water, and when I got up the figure was gone. I arrived back at camp to find Hinata already asleep, or so I thought. The next day I tried to complement her without giving it away to her teammates."

"Really? Naruto, I didn't even know you knew it was me."

"Well, I didn't exactly think it would be polite. You were already blushing so much I though that you would pass out if I mentioned to you how beautiful you looked as you danced naked on the water."

"Well, I know if anyone told me that in front of other people that I would have passed out…" Sakura was laughing inwardly at the idea of shy Hinata having a heart attack while Shino and Kiba stared at her.

"WOWOWOWOWOW!!! I am going to totally use this in my next novel!" Jiriya had his notepad out and had been vigorously taking notes throughout the entire story. Naruto spun around and snapped his fingers. Instantly Jiriya's notebook burst into flames.

"No, you won't. I doubt Hinata would find it flattering to be found in one of your books." Jiriya picked up the ashes of his book with tears in his eyes.

"N…naruto… why did you have to do that?" Jiriya began to sob and Sakura was forced to drag him with them by the collar of his shirt.

* * *

"You know, I can't believe how stupid I was over my life. I mean, look at all the stuff I missed. I had a person who loved me right next to me, and I ignored her. I had potential friends all over the city, and I just tried to prove how much better I was then them. I could have trained with Lee instead of playing pranks and have already reached my level of expertise years ago. Above all, why on earth didn't I see that you liked me? I mean, even if I never even knew you from the academy, when we took the chunin exams I should have seen it. The way you fought, the way you were willing to let me cheat. I never even knew you liked me as a friend until I visited you after your fight with Neji." 

"Yeah, and you wondered why we all called you an idiot."

"Hey, you aren't supposed to agree with me!"

"Wait, Naruto, you… visited me?"

"Well, yeah! I thought it was partially my fault that you got hurt as bad as you did…" Naruto frowned, remembering that time. _What if I had lost her then? I wouldn't be married right now, that is for sure. I wouldn't even have a girlfriend. I might even have given up… Kurenai wouldn't have set me straight and I would have blamed myself for her death. I don't know what I would have done…_

"Naruto, how did you find out when you visited me?"

"I don't think you want to know…"

"Please, Naruto. I want to know how you found out. Kurenai wouldn't ever talk about that time."

"You were dying." Everyone in the group stopped walking and turned to face Naruto.

"W…what?"

"You were going to die that night, the doctors said. I had been there since after Gaara fought Lee and when the doctors let me in to see you they told me… they had given up. I blamed myself. I didn't want you to die, you were just the kind girl who was shy, but you had stood up to Neji so that made you strong too. So the Kyuubi offered to bring you back. He poured his own chakra into you, forcing the tenketsu open where the doctors hadn't been able to, like what he did with me in my fight with Neji. He also healed you a lot, which is why you were even able to move a few weeks later. I passed out. When I woke up, you were in stable condition and Kurenai was blocking me from seeing you. See told me that you admired me… and that you liked me."

"Naruto… you saved me?"

"No, you saved me." Naruto smiled and pulled her closer. "Even when everyone else thought I was just some loser, to weak, the last in the class, you believed in me. Like right before the fight with Neji. And then you gave me a gift that I had never received before. Love."

"Naruto…" He kissed her. This time Jiriya was writing on his forearm everything that happened. He snickered to himself until he watched the ink on his arm slowly disappear.

"What?"

"Jiriya, no taking notes on us."

"Hmph… fine. I have enough notes already to make my next book. It is about this girl named Akuras and a young man named after an eel…" Jiriya was suddenly frightened as killing intent hit him, enough to make even a sennin stop in his tracks. Sakura turned around with an evil look on her face as she cracked he knuckles. "Jiriya, I think that maybe you should change the names of the people in you story if you ever hope of doing "under cover" research again."

"What? Did I say Akuras and Eel, I meant to say Noi and Jicho!"_ I will just move it back one more in the series._

"Good…" Sakura began walking again and everyone followed, a little startled by Sakura's crazy personality.

* * *

Jiriya was growing more and more uneasy. They had been walking almost all day and were about halfway to sound, but on the way there had been no one. Not one person had passed by them going either way. No citizens, no shinobi, no one. _If I was going to ambush us, it would be around that next bend coming up._ There was a sharp twist in the path. It needed to go in between two huge rocks, each over twenty meters tall. It would be the perfect place for an ambush, no place to maneuver. Long range and jutsu specialists would be able to kill them in one shot. Jiriya prepared himself subtly. Naruto had already been ready for it. He had sensed two presences following them a few hours back. They had gone around the team and were now somewhere up ahead. Naruto assumed that they were near those two giant rocks. _Nothing is easy anymore._ Naruto had been secretly multitasking as he listened to Shizune. He had been trying to create a rasengan on one of his tails. It was difficult, as he was still not used to how the chakra flowed through the tails. It wasn't as… focused. It was almost like the tails had chakra lines that were twice the thickness as regular chakra coils. He had managed to produce a rather large, yet unstable, rasengan but it was not easy. _I guess that I will have plenty of time to practice against the two people I felt before. They felt like water users, maybe mist ninja? I can't let myself get trapped like last time, even if the guy said it was a one-of-a-kind jutsu. They seemed really strong, but maybe not._ Shizune had kept ready most of the entire day, only to stop when Naruto wasn't paying attention. She felt the tension rolling off of Jiriya and knew that the rocks up ahead would pose the perfect place for an ambush. Sakura was lost in her own thoughts while Hinata leaned against Naruto and watched the road ahead blissfully. Naruto suddenly stopped. Something wasn't right. He could feel the ninja's up ahead, just beyond the crack in the rocks now only a hundred meters away. But there was something not right, something in his instincts, human and fox, told him that all was not as it seemed._ They are weaker... traps?_

"Everyone, I am going to go ahead for a second, follow me a minute." Naruto kissed his wife before disappearing. He had gone into the forest beyond the two rocks. _Where are they… ah… oh, no!_ Two very poorly made clones stood next to the crack, not poorly made in shape but the amount of chakra put in. They were merely decoys. _No, Hinata!_ Naruto jumped up onto the top of the rocks to look for his friends, instead he saw exactly what he had feared. The area he had just come from was now filled with mist._ Damn it! Hold on, guys!_ Naruto jumped down into the mist.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I do not own Naruto. Ok, so I have two really great ideas for stories and they are driving me crazy because I and stuck between writing them and this. Argh! So I have decided… to continue this story to its full and complete end, no speeding up for myself. Anything for readers and reviewers. Thanks for reading everyone. Note on the weapons. Look them up, they are actual legendary weapons. The Naginata was the Japanese weapon used by the gods to create land, that is why I made it an earth jutsu power. The Shamshir-e was actually Turkish in history, but I thought it was appropriate, being that it was the only weapon able to injure demons. No a naginata is not a sword, but I don't care. The seven swordsmen of the mist don't need to actually have swords in my story, just bladed weapons. I mean, look at that guy in the filler arcs of Naruto, Raiga. His weapons were more like daggers. Also, I want to point out that I like Hinata being strong, so she will be fighting more in this fic. After all, why would she want to change herself in the manga and anime if it was just so Naruto could protect her whenever she was in trouble. No, she can fight and will, especially for Naruto's safety.

Chapter 5: Ice and Fire

Hinata was in her taijutsu stance with her back to the rest of her group. They stood in a circle, each protecting the backs of the others. The mist surrounding them had arrived the instant that Naruto had disappeared. _Naruto… hurry back. _"Byakugan!" Hinata stared into the mist with her all seeing eyes. What she saw was disturbing to her very core. Nothing._ What? _The mist around her couldn't be penetrated by her Byakugan, she could see less then see could see with her regular vision. The veins became even more pronounced as she pushed her abilities to the limits, not being able to pierce even three feet into the mist to see her comrades. _It is almost like the mist isn't made of water… no, wait! It isn't!_ "Everyone, the mist isn't water! It's chakra! I can't see through it!" They all instantly went on guard even more then before, waiting for something to happen.

"That was very observant of you, girl."

"Yes, it was. Too bad what you know can't help you anyway." The two voices came out of the mist, but it seemed as if they were everywhere at once. Hinata couldn't pick up their location at all. She performed a few hand signs. "Water Style: Freezing Touch." Hinata whispered to herself the name, hoping she would be able to keep her now partially glowing hands a secret until it was too late for her attackers.

"Hinata, try using a kaiten." Jiriya was as serious as any of them had ever seen him. He had sensed the chakra of the two attacks at the moment they used the jutsu._ This is not good, they feel like they are at Itachi Uchiha's level. And if that is true… the Akatsuki probably warned them about Naruto. They won't underestimate him, unlike that fool… This is not going to be easy, especially with Naruto not here…_ Hinata began to spin and release her chakra out of every tenketsu on her body. "Kaiten!" The spinning ninja created a sphere of clear air, only to watch as it filled in as she slowed the spinning.

"Alright, who are you and why do you want do die so much." Jiriya needed to stall, the chakra signatures of the two ninjas were growing, coming close to his own.

"Oh, our names? Names don't mean much, do they brother?"

"No, brother, they don't. I don't even think I remember my name. Do you, brother?"

"Hahaha. No, I don't know mine either. I know my sword's, though."

"Yes, I do to. My sword's name is very important."

"Do you wish to know our swords names, pathetic fat man?"  
Jiriya's eye twitched at the insult, but knew that aggravating them would be a disaster. Besides, only a few swords had actually been named. This could provide very important information.

"My sword's name is Amenonuhoko."

"And mine is the Shamshir-e."  
_Two of the legendary sword masters of the mist village. This couldn't get much worse. _

"You're friend won't be arriving anytime soon. We know how to deal with demons. He was caught in a trap and he doesn't even know it. He won't even realize time passed."

_It just got worse._ Jiriya prepared to use a jutsu by biting his thumb. "Well, it is too bad we can't stay and chat, but we have a previous engagement. Summoning Jutsu!" Jiriya slammed his hand against the ground, expecting to greet Gamabunta, or at least a war toad. What happened was… nothing. Jiriya went wide eyed as his companions turned to stare at what he ad summoned, only to be met with empty air.

"It is very funny to watch, brother."

"Indeed, brother. They haven't figured it out. It is really elementary."

Hinata was the first to understand. "We can't use any jutsu! The chakra laced mist is causing our jutsus to fail. As soon as we unleash our chakra, it looses focus and it will fail."

_Whoa, and I was about to try a rasengan._ Hinata tried to use her juken._ It looks like I can control my chakra as long as I contain it in my body. As soon as it hits the air, though, it becomes almost impossible to control. It looks like it is just going to be a battle of weapons and taijutsu. _

"Do you think they are despairing yet, brother?"

"No, brother, I think that they still have some hope. Maybe if they saw one of their friends die they would lose hope."

"I agree, that little girl who figured out our jutsu would be a worthy one to kill."

"It is true, her blood contains a Kekkei Genkai and she is the first to understand the nature of our jutsu. She would be a worthy one to kill."

"Do you want the pleasure?"

"No, brother, after you."

"Thank you, brother."

Hinata held her ground, ready to dodge anything. _Come on, Naruto. _Suddenly a long katana appeared out of the mist as it came stabbing towards her. She bent backwards, barely dodging the blade that would have pierced her heart. As she did she saw the blade pass over her and continue on._ That is one long sword. He must be close._ Hinata blindly fell to her back before kicking with both feet at where she assumed her attacker was. The outcome was her kicking thin air and being in a perfect position for the blade to come slicing down at her. She rolled out of the way, managing to only nick her shoulder. The pain from the wound was almost blinding, but Hinata jumped to her feet and grabbed the blade, freezing it. The blade immediately disappeared, shooting back into the mist.

"Hinata, those two blades they wield are not normal blades. The Shamshir-e can extend to five times its original length and the Amenonuhoko is a naginata that was known to be able to create earth." Shizune had her needles ready to fire in the direction of the next attack. Jiriya had a large kunai in preparation to attack, as did Sakura. Hinata stood with her hands glowing.

"Brother, the little girl froze my Shamshir-e."

"Well, brother, maybe we should both attack her, then."

"I agree, brother."  
A long, wide blade came sweeping in from Hinata's side. She knew that it was a set up._ It is the perfect height so I would want to jump it, because ducking would be hard._ Hinata threw herself to the ground before rolling towards the wielder of the naginata. A katana blade passed over her head before changing directions and almost stabbing into her. Hinata rose from the ground and touched the pole of the naginata, freezing it. Then she threw her other hand in a strike, intending to smash the pole into fragments. She was surprised, and in pain, when the frozen pole resisted her attack, breaking her hand. The pole came up to her face, throwing her through the mist away from her friends. A blade came flying out of the mist in front of her, catching up to Hinata as she flew backwards. She saw it just in time and caught the blade between her feet, freezing it again. She used the blade as leverage and shoved it into the ground. She ran back up the blade, intending to kill its master. But before she was even halfway up the blade the blade retracted under her feet. Hinata's hand was now broken, making it impossible for her to do anymore jutsu. And, worse, her friends were nowhere to be seen. _Damn it._

"Brother told me to kill you while he takes care of the others. You are indeed an experienced ninja, too strong to merely be a chunin as my information tells me. I will enjoy killing you, a worthy trophy, unlike the demon."

"You aren't even half the ninja he is!"

"And yet he falls into my trap the same way you have." Hinata grit her teeth at his insult. "But I don't blame you, little girl, for sticking up for him. It is too bad that he is not here to save you."

"I am perfectly capable of saving myself!"

"Then why don't you prove it?" Hinata watched as the long katana came sweeping down in a vertical slice that would have clove her in two, but instead of rolling to the side she ran towards it. She did a diving roll as the blade came close to her head. As she came out of her roll she ran at full speed to where the one holding the katana should be. The blade behind he kept shirking at an amazing rate and swinging down, nearly cutting her but her speed kept it barely off of her. She saw a figure in the mist._ I have you!_ Hinata used her remaining hand to freeze the katana's handle to its master and then freeze both of his knees. She then kicked one of the knees, expecting it to break the leg. It shattered. The ninja she had just partially frozen crashed to the ground in a pool of blood. _What? I shouldn't have been able to do that._ She felt the blood on the ground. It was cold._ This isn't blood._ "A water clone." Hinata jumped instinctively out of the way as a separate katana came sweeping at her legs. Another blade stabbed towards her, and another, and another. Soon the air was filled with swords coming out of every section of the mist. It was all Hinata could do to dodge them. "Kaiten!" Hinata spun in a circle, every blade that came in close was bent backwards and disintegrated into water droplets. Soon the air was clear again. Hinata stopped spinning, breathing hard from the exertion of pouring her chakra out of every tenketsu in her body.

"Hahahaha… indeed you are strong! Stronger then even I could have guessed. No one has ever lived against me as long as you have. I should keep your head as a remembrance of your bravery and skill."

"Who says you are going to even get my head?"

"It isn't your decision. You don't stand a chance. Not when I can see you perfectly and you can't even tell where I am."

"All I need to do is hold out until Naruto comes back."

"I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you. The trap he is in was based off of the jutsu used to contain the Shukaku from Suna in a teapot for years. I think it can hold this Naruto of yours for long enough time for me to kill you." Hinata frowned. How long will it take for Naruto to escape? Suddenly she felt something brush against her leg. She smiled.

"Too bad, your trap can't contain Naruto for even ten minutes!"

"Really? Then why isn't he here…" Suddenly a grunt was heard by Hinata. The mist began to thin. She saw two figures in the mist and they slowly became more clear. One was her attacker, a tall man in nothing but a pair of black pants and black wrapping around his mouth. His sword, a katana with it's hilt covered in emeralds, was held in the air unmoving by what appeared to be nothing. The other figure, as Hinata knew, was Naruto. The katana's blade had barely missed his shoulder as it had extended to its near ten meter length. Hinata saw blood dripping off of the blade. Suddenly she knew what was holding the blade in midair.

"Hey, Hina, do you think this guy knows who he is up against?"

"Watch out Naruto!" Behind them stood the other three members of their team, each facing the other blade master of the mist. "That blade was specially designed to wound demons!" Naruto's eyes went wide as the katana master smirked. Hinata saw with her Byakugan the chakra he suddenly ran into the sword. Naruto fell to his knees, sweating and twitching in pain, but his tail, still pierced by the sword, didn't move.

"Naruto!" Hinata ran towards the mist ninja, ready to freeze his arms off, when the man swung his sword around, throwing Naruto off of the blade and into the charging Hinata. Naruto's genjutsu broke.

"Well, brother, it looks like the kid really is a demon. Not just a container like they told us." Sakura and Shizune gasped at Naruto's appearance. Naruto's whisker marks became slightly more pronounced as he stood up.

"Damn straight! You think you can beat me?"

"It is not so much if we think that we can beat you, it is more if we think we can take you alive and receive the extra cash for you." Naruto bared his sharp teeth.

"No one hurts my friends and gets away with it!" Naruto took his tails and poured chakra into them, each becoming as hard and as sharp as a sword, though as flexible and long as a whip. "Leave now, before I actually start to fight." The two ninjas just smirked. The one standing in front of Jiriya and the others put his naginata above his head. He stabbed it blade first into the ground. Suddenly Naruto was thrown into the air by a pillar of rock. Jiriya was ready for the break. "Needle Guardian Spiral!" Jiriya's hair surrounded his body completely as he jumped into the hair towards the ninja with the naginata. The ninja instantly removed the blade from the ground and used it to block the spinning sennin. Jiriya stopped the spiral and grabbed the naginata with his own hands and swung his now long and sharp hair around it. The attack perforated the shoulder of the swordsman.

Naruto blocked the follow up attacks by the extended katana with his tails, leaving two unused. _It worked the first time I worked on the rasengan, it should work this time. If I don't have enough control with one hand I can just use two._ The two free tails began spiraling around another, using the chakra to build up a large ball of chakra the size of Naruto's upper body. The energy, this time, was contained by the two extra tails constantly pouring their own chakra into the stabilization of the newly created rasengan. Naruto finally fell to the earth and used his immense speed to appear in front of the startled ninja. "Fox Rasengan!" The tail sped to where the ninja had been instants ago, but the s-ranked ninja managed to barely miss taking a direct hit. The rasengan hit the ground under the jumping ninja, exploding in a whirlwind of energy. All of the combatants were thrown to the ground, amazingly all five of the Konoha ninjas were closest to the large rocks while the two mist ninjas had been thrown back towards where they had come from.

"Go!" Naruto shouted at his friends. "I can take care of these two. Just keep going!" Hinata grabbed his shoulder. "No! We can help you…"

"Hinata, I know you can. But if I make a mistake and one of you gets hurt by me because of my lack of training in this body then I would never forgive myself. Please, run!" Naruto charged off towards the two ninjas, now standing, as Hinata stood behind. Jiriya grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder as he ran towards the rock.

"No, master Jiriya! He might need us!"

"Hinata, trust Naruto's judgement! If he thinks we could get hurt by one of his jutsus then we should at least get behind these rocks!"

"You mean…"

"No, we aren't going to leave him here. We just need to take some cover before he lets loose!" Hinata stopped her weeping and looked back at the three figures fighting in the distance. _Good luck, Naruto!_

"So, you escaped."

"Escaped what?"

"Brother, he doesn't even know he was trapped!"

"That is very funny, brother."

"Whatever, you two are going down."

"How do you plan on doing that, demon? My katana could paralyze you in pain."

"And my naginata could trap you in the earth like the fox you are."

"Oh, I plan on doing it this way. Naruto did a few hand signs, keeping his tails behind his back. He kept doing hand signs. And he kept doing hand signs.

"Brother, I think he is bluffing. There is no jutsu with that many hand signs."

"Indeed, I think he is just stalling for those other ninja. Do you think of them as friends, demon? No one is friends with a demon." Naruto's eyes opened from his concentration.

"They aren't just my friends. They are the people I have sworn to protect." Slowly Naruto's tails came out from behind his back, the top most one was straight up, unmoving as the rest moved around it at speeds unseen. The one tail above Naruto's head held a fiery ball of chakra. The two swordsmen stared at the ball, easily the size of both of them put together. Naruto smiled. "And I will protect them. You might think that your are unbeatable, but anyone who messes with my wife and comrades can consider themselves dead." The two ninja prepared for the final thrust of the ball of death, ready to jump either way. "There is no dodging this attack. Fire and Wind Style: Hell!" The ball of energy on top of his tail began to expand, and as it did the fire inside became more and more unstable. The last memory either ninja had was off the ball's walls collapsing in on themselves and unleashing a pain and heat neither could have imagined.

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk drinking sake and trying to understand the paper in front of her when the sunset outside suddenly became the lesser of two lights brightening up the sky. Out, many many miles away as far as she could tell, an explosion the size of Konoha burst from the forest.

* * *

Jiriya, Shizune, Sakura and Hinata all crouched down into the hole Jiriya had made with an Earth jutsu, knowing that the only reason they weren't dead was because the large rock above them was thick and the hole behind them was filled in. Hinata reached up to touch the massive rock above their heads and instantly regretted it. It was as hot as if it had been lying in a fire for days. Shizune had already started to heal her broken hand and sighed as Naruto's wife burned her other one.

"Hinata, isn't it enough to wound one of your hands?" Hinata ignored the medic as she stared up to where she assumed Naruto was.

"I hope he is ok…"

"Don't worry. I saw him use this move once before and he wasn't hurt. It wasn't this powerful though… this was beyond anything I have ever heard of..."

"Yeah, if anyone can take care of himself, it is Naruto." Sakura and Shizune had gotten over the shock of seeing Naruto's true form, but were still waiting for an explanation.

"You're right." Hinata focused some chakra into her hands, trying to aid the healing process. "Naruto can do anything he puts his mind to."

* * *

Naruto stood in what had once been the middle of a road. Now the surrounding miles of land were a scorched wasteland. Not one tree had escaped the inferno, the closest to the epicenter had been completely incinerated, leaving no trace. The two rocks at Naruto's back had decreased in size, as the outer area had been turned into molten rock, filling the crack in between the two. The ground was black in some areas, molten in others, burned to the point of turning the clay into rock and the tiny particles of sand into glass. Naruto collapsed to his knees, completely fine and free from burns, but afraid._ What the hell did I do? The first time I did that I at least left partial trees and it was only a few kilometers. This time... how do I control this power? It is almost like my best attacks will kill everyone in the area. I don't even know if my friends made it out of the blast area before… oh no, Hinata! I can't smell Hinata! I can't smell anything in this burned area!_ Naruto jumped over the rocks, not daring to touch the recently cooled molten rock. As he landed he saw that the devastation on this side of the rocks was not nearly as bad, but he still couldn't see the end of it. _Be alive, be alive, be alive._ Naruto used all of his speed in running off on the path his friends were supposed to take.

* * *

Jiriya sat in the hole, deciding on whether or not it was safe to come out or not. The rest of the group had begun to rest, Jiriya staying awake to let in air when it was necessary. _Damn it, Naruto. Be alive. _


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Yes, I am mean. I don't own Naruto. Hope you enjoyed the niceness up till now, you won't be getting much more until a lot later. Sorry. This chapter is mainly where the M rating comes in, so read at your own risk.

NEW AN: Ok, so something was wrong with the file I imported and I didn't realize it. THE BEGINING OF THIS CHAPTER HAS been fixed!

Chapter 6: The Trouble with Good Things…

Naruto was running. Running from the memories of his fight. _The power, the explosion… the spread of the damage… the… No... I didn't do it... it wasn't them... it... couldn't have been... NO... JUST RUN!_

* * *

_Naruto had cleared the large rocks, now half destroyed by his attack and as running in the last direction he had seen his wife and friends go. Naruto was afraid, truly, for the first time since becoming the Kyuubi. He was running so fast the burned remains of trees just became a black blur on either side of the now partially destroyed path. It was only a mile away from where he had unleashed the attack when he saw exactly what he had feared. Exactly what he had never wanted to see. Exactly what could drive him to the brink of insanity. In front of him were the remains of four bodies. Blackened skeletons, no flesh or blood, no muscle or skin, just black bones. Naruto looked at them for minutes, staring blankly at what he had to assume were his friends... his wife... his life._

* * *

Why was Naruto running? He couldn't think of anything, his mind was numb. He sprinted with all speed in his possession. The faster he ran the less time he had to think. Constantly dodging trees and branches, now out of the range of his attack, made it impossible for him to have time to think. Tears unconsciously streamed from his face as he ran miles in mere seconds. _Hinata…_ BAM! Naruto ran straight through a tree. _Hinata fighting Neji…_ BAM!_ Hinata smiling…_ BAM!_ Hinata blushing after a kiss…_ BAM!_ Hinata in a wedding dress…_ BAM!_ Hinata's blackened corpse… _Naruto smashed through one more tree before jumping into the tree tops. Then he saw it. A town. The village of Sound. Naruto hadn't bothered to reapply his genjutsu, and now he was crouched on the top of a tree viewing his original destination. He dropped to the ground and weakly leaned against a tree. 

_I killed them. I killed her. I… I don't have reason to live… she is gone and I did it… damn it… DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! Hinata… I couldn't even protect you from myself. Some "proud failure" I am…_ Naruto was weeping now, clinging to the tree as if it were Hinata. The last time he had cried like this was when he had learned about the demon fox. He slid to the ground, unconsciously swinging one tail and destroying three trees in the process. He pulled a kunai from his belt, posing over his heart. _Why do I live? What is there left for me? Nothing left in this world with her gone._ Suddenly Naruto plunged the kunai into his shoulder, not his heart. _I could kill them. I could finish the mission, just make it more… personal. Yes… I… I will kill them. That's what I can do. I can kill those responsible… for attacking me and causing me to kill her… I swear… I swear to KILL THEM ALL!_ Naruto's eyes slowly went from blue to red._ They don't deserve to live, these inhabitants of Sound. They have harbored Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Tonight, they will all die. I only hope that they have loved ones outside of the village that will know my pain._ Naruto stood up, tears still pouring from his now red eyes, eyes that had not been on his face since the Kyuubi's death. His tails twitched in anticipation of blood to be spilled. The tips, always silver up until now, had become the color of blood. His claws no long looked like long nails but instruments of death, each as capable as a katana or kunai. The chakra around his body, once called infinite, began to swirl around him, blood red not blue. No, there would be no survivors now. No quarter. Naruto was gone in a flash.

* * *

Jiriya was surprised to find the entrance to their hold now covered by rock. It had been four hours sense they had heard anything from outside. The huge boulder above their head had cooled so it was safe to touch. Jiriya had decided that he would go up ahead and make sure that there wasn't anymore blazing attacks flying around. He used a simple earth jutsu and the rock turned to mud, clearing the way to the surface. When he came out, he wasn't surprised at the surrounding area. No, to say Jiriya was surprised would not be telling the entire truth. Jiriya was frozen in a state of complete and total panic. _What has he done?_ Jiriya hopped to the top of the rocks, realizing now that the rock blocking his path had just hours before been molten, and viewed the complete devastation of the miles around. There wasn't even a tree within a mile of what could only be called the ground zero of Naruto's attack. There was a definite center where Naruto had been fighting the two swordsmen. It was evident in the way the ash had settled like ripples around this point. It was evident in the many meters deep crater of what Jiriya assumed used to be ground, but was now probably gas from the heat. What Jiriya saw made his stomach turn over. There was nothing. Nothing as far as the eye could see. No Naruto, no enemy, no organic material not completely burned to a cinder. Jiriya didn't know what to think._ Is Naruto even alive? I doubt we could find any trace of his body if he isn't. I don't see how even absorbing the Kyuubi's chakra could protect someone from this. _Jiriya knew that the worst case scenario was probably true in this case. He summoned a toad, which, as fate would have it, was Gamakichi. 

"I need you to take a message to the Hokage."

"Great! Have you seen Naruto around lately? He hasn't summoned me to play in a while."

"… No, he hasn't. And I don't think he will again. Tell the Hokage that Naruto is MIA and presumed dead."

"WHAT? You can't be serious, master Jiriya. Naruto can't die."

"LOOK AROUND YOU, GOD DAMN IT! NARUTO WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS!"

"I still don't believe it. But I will deliver the message. Naruto can't die."

"How do you know?"

"He hasn't yet, has he?"

The little frog disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Jiriya alone in the barren wasteland. Or, at least that was what he would have wanted… Jiriya turned around to make sure the others didn't see this and stayed in the dugout, only to find them all staring at him. Hinata was looking at him in horror with her hand over her heart._ Oh shit! She heard me!_

"Listen, Hinata…" He didn't even need to go any farther, as Hinata collapsed into Shizune's arms unconscious.

"Jiriya… is what you said true?" Sakura looked like she was about to follow Hinata in fainting. Jiriya nodded. Sakura collapsed to her knees.

"No… that's not true…" Sakura was about to begin crying when they all felt something that could only be described as pure anger incarnate. A killing intent large enough to wake Hinata passed over them, but they all realized that it wasn't directed at them. It didn't even seem to be close.

"What the hell was that?" Jiriya felt a chakra signature unlike any he had ever felt before. It had to be a hundred miles away, but it was strong enough to effect them.

"It… it was Naruto!" Hinata jumped up and shrugged off Shizune's help. "No one's that strong except Naruto!"

"But… if that was Naruto… it seemed almost insane with anger…"

"Maybe he thinks we died?" Shizune was hesitant to offer that explanation. Hinata began to pour chakra into her legs.

"Then we need to find him and prove we live!" Hinata was off, faster then any of them had ever seen her run. Jiriya sighed.

"Follow her, we have no hope of finishing the mission without her and Naruto." They were off again.

* * *

Naruto was finished. The town was finished. There as nothing left inside of it but death. Naruto was covered from head to toe in the blood of the citizens and shinobi of sound. Naruto's canines had extended even longer, giving him a purely demonic appearance. The only thing that marked him as human was the tears that still flowed unchecked down his now blood covered face. The kunai was still imbedded in his shoulder. Naruto, despite losing himself to the battle, had managed to uncover some information. Before Kabuto, the new leader of sound, died, he had told Naruto which way Kisame always came from and that he had been here recently. It was time to hunt.

* * *

Tsunade sat at her desk, staring in the direction she had seen the explosion in. Many people in the village had come to demand to know what was going on, especially after a killing intent had come over the city, many recognizing it to be similar to the Kyuubi's 19 odd years ago. No one knew. Not even her. Suddenly, a little frog appeared on her desk in a puff of smoke. "Yo! Old Lady! I am supposed to bring you a message from Jiriya." Tsunade's eye twitched, but she refrained from sending the summon to meet his maker. 

"What?"

"He told me to tell you that Naruto has gone missing in action, and should be presumed to be dead. But I don't really think that that is the case."

"You mean that explosion…"

"I don't know, I didn't see it. I did see the miles and miles of nothing but scorched earth. But Naruto can survive anything."

Tsunade sat back in her chair, still looking in the direction of the explosion. _No, Naruto isn't dead. No one is capable of producing that much chakra or killing intent. It made Orochimaru look like a kind grandpa. But why is he o angry?_ Tsunade had many ideas on why he would put off that much chakra.

* * *

Jiriya suddenly pieced it all together when he saw the coincidence. Four dead bodies lay in the road, burned beyond description. _If Naruto had seen this he probably would assume the worst. After all, this is about where we would have been if I hadn't stopped to hide. Damn. It all makes sense._ Hinata crouched next to the dead bodies. She hadn't been the same Hinata sense she had woken up. She wasn't smiling, she wasn't blushing, she wouldn't even speak. All Hinata did was run, run after Naruto. 

"Now we know why Naruto left. And that killing intent…"

"Let's go." Hinata was off again. Her companions followed, though they knew she was under stress.

"Hinata, don't worry. We will find him."

"Yeah, if he could survive that explosion then he can survive anything…"

Hinata's mind was anything except a mirror of her outer self. Her face was completely emotionless while her insides were churning in agony. _Naruto… please wait!_ It was all Hinata could do to not break into tears on the spot, but she knew that would slow her down. She had only one goal now. To catch up to Naruto, to ease the pain she had felt in his presence before.

* * *

"Sir, the Kyuubi container is attempting to reach the base!" 

"…what?"

"We just received a report that the vessel just destroyed Sound!"

"…who reported this…"

"Sir, Kisame reported it, but we lost contact with him immediately afterwards."

"…recall all members…"

"Sir?"

"… I want every member here for when he comes… we must be ready to perform the ceremony."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Naruto dropped the now dead body of Kisame and crushed his sword in his other hand. He had a scent, and it wasn't Kisame's. This smell reeked of death and evil, and Naruto knew instinctivly that is was of their leader. He knew where to go now. Funny, how elite ninja didn't guard their scent. _They never thought someone would come after them. Well, that's their mistake. _Naruto was off again, this time slower. On the trail left by Kisame, he needed to slow to a human pace to make sure that he wouldn't lose it. With his enhanced senses, it was simple to follow his trail. _It must be close._ His claws dug into the earth as he followed the trail, not knowing that his own path was being followed.

* * *

"What… happened… here?" Sakura could barely speak as she looked over the remains of Sound. Jiriya was speechless, as was Shizune. Hinata had removed her impassive face, it was replaced by horror. In front of them lay the burned out husks of buildings, most smashed to the ground. The village was a graveyard uncovered. Countless dead littered the streets. The foursome walked through the streets that had been drenched with blood. A dismembered body here, an armless corpse there. A body looked like it had been turned inside out. Sakura vomited more then once, even being an expert med-ninja had not prepared her for this. Hinata would have, but it appeared as if only her legs were working, not her mind. The most gruesome part was the mountain of heads in the middle of the town. It looked like not one of the residents had kept there head on their neck, based upon the small mountain before them. No women, no children, no citizen or shinobi had been spared. Each head bore a look of terror in their unseeing eyes. Jiriya frowned at the slaughter, he couldn't form words to explain what this was._ Naruto must really have gone insane… the Naruto I knew would have never slaughtered these people like this… something must have snapped._ Hinata had not removed a look of sheer terror from her face since entering the village. When she saw the lifeless and headless body of a child, no older then three, lying carelessly in the gutter and covered in the blood of a thousand people she finally broke down. She knelt next to the body of the child with tears streaming down her face as she wept.

"He could have been ours…" were the only words her friends deciphered from her mumbling beneath her tears. Sakura managed to carry her out of the city in the direction Naruto had gone. It was easy to find, with all of the trees he destroyed. Shizune almost threw up at the sight of the only body to still have a head attached to it. Kabuto, the de facto leader of Sound, looked like he had had his skeleton removed as he was alive and then had it used to pin his corpse to a wall. She soon left to leave the city, followed by a still silent Jiriya.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!" Jiriya gave the village of Sound a semi-proper burial, sinking the buildings, corpses, and blood to hell. When he was done, the only thing that would have given away the fact that a city had once stood was the vast open area. Jiriya stood up to his full height and faced away from his companions.

"I… don't think that we will find Naruto is his right mind, if we find him at all. That is something that he would never had done… ever. He doesn't kill for fun or thrill…"

"He is killing from revenge."

"Right, Shizune. And I fear what he will do if he comes back to his right mind and finds that his revenge was… not needed." Hinata was slumped on the ground, barely managing to stay up straight leaning on Sakura's leg. Her tears had not stopped and her hands were still covered in the blood of the child…

* * *

_One Week Earlier _

"_Naruto, why is it then whenever I get to be alone with you, I just end up loving your tails more?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Nothing…" Hinata Hyuga leaned against her betrothed as they lay under a tree in the solitude of the forest. She leaned her head against his shoulder as his tails wrapped her in their warmth._

"_Mmmm…"_

"_Hinata, why do you love me so much?" _

"_Your tails…" Hinata giggled with her eyes closed. "Of course it could be that you are one of the nicest, bravest, handsomest, strongest, inspiring ninja alive. But I am putting my money on "furry"…"_

"_I love you too." Hinata blushed. She loved it when she heard that. It was like her dream come true, over and over again. "Hinata… when we get married, are you going to still be a ninja?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_I mean, as Hokage I won't exactly be short on money… I was just wondering if… if you wanted…"_

"_Naruto, I would love to start a family."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes, as soon as we get married we can begin work on the Uzimaku Clan. If there was anything I ever wanted in life, it was the chance to be a mother…"_

"_Well, there are plenty of other guys who would have been happy to aid you in that goal."_

"_Naruto, you didn't let me finish. I always wanted to be the mother of your children."_

"_I know what you meant." Naruto gently tickled her with one of his tails. "I was just kidding with you."_

"_Hmph, well maybe you could be less serious next time you're "just kidding"!"_

"_Hinata… you're cute when you're mad."_

"_I am not mad." Hinata snuggled closer to him and into his soft, furry tails. "I just wanted to make sure you understood just who is on top in this relationship."_

"_You can be on top of me any day, Hinata."_

"_Oh, you! I would leave you for that comment if your tails weren't so soft and fuzzy…"_

"_Huh?"_

_"Just Kidding..."_

* * *

"He could have been ours… Naruto… don't leave me now…" 

"Hinata, are… are you going to be ok?" Sakura looked down at her friend. _She shouldn't have had to do this. Married only a day before, she should be on a honeymoon, not on a chase to find her possibly mentally deranged husband who thinks she is dead._ Hinata managed to pull herself up off of the ground with help from Sakura.

"We need to find him, or else more people will be hurt. I know that if Naruto died, I would probably do the same that he is doing…" Hinata looked up with new courage. "But we aren't dead and this doesn't have to end like this! Let's go before we lose him!" Hinata was off again, seemingly with renewed strength from the small rest. Her friends were right on her heels.

They soon came across the body of another Akatsuki, except this one was the real deal. The all recognized Kisame from either personal experience or the recent bingo book. What was left of him was enough to find out who he was. The large, snapped, sword covered in black scales was also a key clue. If it hadn't have been for the fact that his head had been completely burned so it was merely a skull, so they could see the sharp teeth, it would have been harder. They saw the path of destruction that led through the forest from their place on a hill overlooking the entire valley that Sound had once existed in. It was no longer travelling in a straight line. It had turned. Naruto was headed toward Konoha.

AN: Hmm… WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Please… review. I like it when I see people reviewing, it makes it seem like people are reading. This story has quite a few chapters left. I would say at least 5 more, longish ones. So please, review. It makes writing the next chapter so much more… fulfilling. Thanks for reading up till now, I will keep the updates coming.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: If an insane demon was heading towards your village, what would you do? Konoha, we have a problem. I don't own Naruto. Keep reading and reviewing.

Chapter 7: Home?

_Something is familiar about this area. If only I could remember… dead… No, no time to remember. Keep following scent. Keep running. Kill them… why kill them… dead… yeah. Kill them._ Naruto ran after the faint scent of death and evil, coming ever closer to its source, still a fair distance away. His mind was clear, or more correctly, blank. His mind only contained one thought, to follow the scent and kill anyone who got in his way and then kill the source of the scent. Then he could…_ what will I do? No, no thinking now! Figure it out later… follow, then kill._ Naruto had been following the scent all night and most of the day, but at a much slower pace then he had done the past day. He no longer needed to run, his mind had no thoughts in it besides "follow" and "kill". He would find the one he wanted, though he had no idea or wanted any idea of why he wanted him, and then he would kill him. Naruto continued on his path. Over the next hill he saw something… very familiar. It was… a town. _Strange… it reminds me… no, find and kill._ The town was still a fair distance away, so it would take a while to reach it. Again, he found the trail and followed it.

Tsuande stood on the city gates with three jonin elite and another kage. Kakashi Hatake stood reading his most recent novel, though his mind was far from the images in the book. It was on his former student, the next Hokage, and the demon he could sense coming closer to the village. Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets, tracking in his mind the path of his friend. Temari, with her large fan on her back, stood next to Shikamaru, waiting. Gaara, the Kazekage, stood with his arms over his chest and his trademark frown on his face. He had stayed after the wedding to visit his… friends… and have diplomatic talks with the Hokage. When he had arrived that morning to ask about the large explosions he had heard last evening, he had noticed that the Hokage was almost as nervous as people he had once killed… right before they died. Fear. He could smell it exuding off of her. She had told him of Naruto's untimely disappearance, but…

"_Naruto went on a mission recently. He is going after the Akatsuki, the group that those two who attacked you a while back were from, in attempt to stop their attacks on him and his wife. While on it something happened. I don't have much information, but that explosion was his doing. Now no one knows where the hell he is, or if he is even alive."_

"… _Naruto is alive."_

"_What?"_

"_I… can sense his chakra… but…" Tsunade wanted to hear the next part, but suddenly a frog appeared on her desk again. Gamakichi, but this time he didn't look like his cheerful self. _

"_Hey, old lady. Bad news, good news time. Naruto ain't dead. That's the good news. The bad news is that he thinks Jiriya, Shizune, Sakura and Hinata are dead. He has… gone pretty much insane. Jiriya told me that he… massacred the entire city of Sound. No survivors. None. And then he found Kisame, who is now dead, but Jiriya thinks Naruto picked up his scent and is following it. Right now, he told me to warn you that Naruto is heading in this general direction, and he is obviously not in his right mind. I mean, Jiriya said that he totally slaughtered the citizens of Sound, not just shinobi, but women and children."_

"…_This is… not good." Gaara knew Naruto's nindo. He also knew that it didn't include the merciless killings of innocents._

"_I think that that would be an understatement, Lord Kazekage."_

"_More then you might think… if he is truly mad from grief of his wife "dieing" then he would be more dangerous to this city then any invasion. If his thinks that we are… in his way… he will not hesitate to do to this village what was done to Sound."_

"_What should we do?" Tsunade was about to call all ninja to arms when Gamakichi spoke up again._

"_Well, Jiriya said that he and his group are catching up to Naruto slowly. They don't think they will catch up before he reaches the city, though."_

"_Hmm… if Naruto sees Hinata… he will probably snap out of it… no guarantee though…"_

"_So we stall him… you!" She addressed the ANBU guarding the door. "Get Hatake Kakashi in here, now. And, get Shikamaru."_

"_And Temari." The ANBU were off to gather the people._

"_Two Kages, three Jonin. Do you think it will be enough?"_

"_No… but we will slow him down."_

"He is going to be here within the hour. Where could Jiriya be?"

"Calm yourself, Lady Tsuande. They can't get here any faster if you worry." Kakashi put away his book. He and the rest of the Jonin and Chunin in the city had helped gather the people in the tunnels underneath the city and seal them there. The reason why was a "invasion drill" and most of the people bought it, seeing how they had suffered from invasions in the past. The only reason why they had stayed out was because they were the most likely people Naruto would recognize.

"Worrying is exactly what I plan on doing until everything goes back to normal…"

"Nothing is going to go back to normal." Gaara spoke for the first time in the presence of the rest of the group. "Naruto thinks he killed his wife, and even though that isn't true, he has now slaughtered an entire hidden village. He is going to suffer for that, even if he manages to regain his sanity. Killing mindlessly… the guilt is enough to drive one to suicide. Naruto will not be the same person you knew when this is over."

Everyone remained silent at that. Each knew instinctively that he was right, though each was hoping that Naruto would bounce back as he always seemed to be able to do.

"Shikamaru, Temari, Kakashi, when you see Naruto he probably won't look… the same as he usually does. This is classified information and it does not travel anywhere else. Orochimaru attacked Naruto a while ago, inside the body of Sasuke Uchiha, which you all know. Naruto killed him, but was forced to use the same jutsu the Third and Forth used… on the reanimated corpse of his father. Normally, this uses the soul of the user, but in this case, because Naruto contained the Kyuubi's soul, the death god only needed one and he had two. The Kyuubi gave Naruto all of his chakra and then his soul was taken, killing the Kyuubi. The chakra had an… odd side effect. Naruto will resemble a nine tailed fox when you see him. It is normally under a complex genjutsu I taught him. His tails and every part of him are deadly, so be very very careful."  
Each person nodded, keeping there thoughts to themselves. Naruto came closer.

* * *

"Alright, check in!" Iruka had taken it upon himself to lead the "invasion drill". Tsunade had informed him a little on the situation. They had just finished sealing the entrances to the underground tunnels and were doing a final check to make sure everyone was in. The walls of these underground corridors were thick and hard. They also had seals etched into them.

"Sensei, why are there drawings on the walls?"

"They were put there by the first Hokage when he made these tunnels. The seals are special so that no chakra escapes the walls. It makes it so no one can pick up the chakra signatures we make when we are in this tunnel."

"Oh…"

"Iruka! We have a problem."

"What?"

"Four chunin are missing."

"What? Who?"

* * *

Hinata could see her home. _Close… too close…_ Running all day had made them all tired. Hinata popped a soldier pill before continuing down the path Naruto had forged for himself through the forest._ Please… Naruto… don't do anything you will regret later._ Hinata remembered all of death she had seen in Sound, caused by Naruto's hands. She could help him._ I need to find him!_ They could all sense Naruto now, his chakra was flaring and hadn't stopped since the attack on Sound. _He is close!_ Hinata pumped as much chakra as she could into her legs. Behind her, the three other members of her team were either gasping for air or drained completely. They still ran, not just for Hinata and Naruto._ The fate of Konoha might be at stake here!_ Hinata suddenly sensed something else… something… not quite human. And it wasn't above ground.

"JUMP!" Instantly and without thinking, they all followed Hinata's example and jumped into the trees.

"Earth Style: Ant-Lion Trap!" A massive hole appeared in the earth, quickly expanding to create a pit of quicksand. In the center of the constantly expanding sand trap was what could only be described as a giant toothed mouth. Hinata looked inside of it with her Byakugan and saw the head of a man._ But those jaws… they are also a part of his body._ The man jumped out and canceled the jutsu, seeing how he wasn't going to get any of the shinobi. _That is a dangerous jutsu, it would have gotten all of us in less then a second._

"We are here to make sure you do not… interfere with the bosses plan." Sakura was surprised to see that only one side of his mouth spoke, as it was split down the middle with one half being white and the other black.

"You shall go no further." This time the black side of his face spoke. "We will devour you and your souls…" The giant flytrap like man was forced to move as Shizune threw a swarm of needles at him. Sakura was charging with her fist cocked.

"Go, Hinata and Jiriya! We will take this weirdo!" Sakura threw the punch at his face, only to gaze in awe as the trap shut and completely blocked her punch. He didn't even flinch.

* * *

Naruto knew he was here. Where he was, he had no idea, but the smell ended here. He sniffed around the small clearing, finding where the scent disappeared to. He stopped at a large rock. Not big enough to be a boulder, just a rock in the ground. A perfectly ordinary rock. Naruto drew back his claws. _Underneath!_ His hand smashed the boulder into fragments. The boulder had been covering… nothing. Naruto gave a small look of surprise at the lack of a hole or anything that would lead to where the smell was coming from. Once again, this time with even more rage, he struck the earth underneath the spot the boulder had been on. He didn't even need to touch the earth, the second his chakra touched the spot a large stairway appeared under his feet, leading into darkness. Naruto smiled wickedly. _First I kill the bastards in here, than I can leave… leave to be with her._ Naruto fingered the kunai that was still imbedded in his shoulder. _Yes… no reason except her. Now it is time to kill… them…_ Naruto ignored the spiral staircase and jumped into the darkness.

* * *

"Lord Kazekage, I can't sense Naruto!" Gaara nodded at Tsunade's statement. He could no longer sense his friend, either. Before any of them could react, Gaara leapt off of the city wall in a surprising display of agility for someone who never moves in battle and began running towards the point he had last sensed Naruto. The others quickly followed.

"What do you think you can do, little girls?" The obviously insane Akatsuki member had just caught Sakura's most powerful punch in one hand. _He says his name is Zetsu. How can he be so strong? _He smiled wickedly on one half of his face, while the other remained impassive. "I could kill you both right now, but I like to play with my food!" He threw Sakura into Shizune, sending both crashing into a tree. The ninja began doing hand signs.

"Why don't you want to play? I never have any fun. Earth Style: Mud River!" The ninja put out his hand as a gusher of mud sprang forth. It rushed at the nearly unconscious med-ninjas, threatening to crush them into the forest of trees. Zetsu wasn't surprised to see both of the ninja turn out to be logs.

"Now you come out to play." He turned around to catch a poisoned needle in midair and fling it back. Shizune had barely a chance to gasp before rolling out of the way of her own needle. Sakura appeared on the opposite side of Zetsu and did a few hand signs. He hands began to glow blue.

"You might have a hard shell, but this will pierce it!" She yelled out as she charged again, this time using clones to try to hide her real presence until it would be too late for Zetsu's organs and chakra system. He smirked at her attempt before sinking into the ground. _What?_ Sakura looked around as Shizune came out of the bushes to join her. The instant Shizune was out in the open Zetsu made his move. He suddenly appeared behind the experienced med-nin. Sakura tried to yell out a warning as the massive jaws positioned themselves silently around Shizune's head.

* * *

Hinata hoped her friends were able to handle the S-ranked ninja. Jiriya had stepped up the pace again, trees seemed to blend together at their speed. _There better not be anyone else in our way! We need to reach Naruto, now!_ Hinata had her Byakugan on, and that was the only thing that saved her.

"DIE!" A massive, jagged ice crystal appeared in Hinata's way, and the only reason she didn't impale herself on it was because she had already changed directions. She continued to run at the Akatsuki robe wearing ninja. Jiriya ran up to the ninja with his hand extended. "Rasengan!" The Akatsuki member managed to jump out of his way, barely missing having a head removed. The hat dropped off in the process of jumping away, revealing an attractive woman with light blue hair. Jiriya stopped and prepared to fight.

"Hinata, go to Naruto! I can take care of her. Besides… she would be excellent research for my next novel."

"Bastard!" The woman charged Jiriya, who positioned himself between Hinata and the ninja.

"GO!" Hinata ran off, knowing that she was close.

* * *

"Wa…!" Sakura couldn't get anything out as the jaws quickly closed around Shizune's head. It was nearly closed when the Zetsu was sent flying by a massive chakra strike to his gut.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" A blur was all that could be seen, huge chakra waves coming out of Zatsu's back. "64 strikes!" Zetsu was sent flying by the last hit. In midair he was met with a swarm of weapons the size of with he had never seen. Thousands of shurikin and kunai, as well as many other sharp and deadly looking objects sped towards him, though they all looked like they would miss. His smirk at his enemy's bad accuracy suddenly turned into a look of shock.

"Konoha Destroying Whirlwind" Zatsu's face was suddenly smashed in as a heavily weighted foot collided with his face, sending him into a tree and the waiting path of the weapons. He had only a second to try to sink into the tree, but the first needle struck him in his left eye. Loosing concentration he was soon impaled over every square inch of his body. Zetsu had breathed his last. Team Guy had come to the rescue.

* * *

"The amazing hero was in a stand off with the amazingly beautiful woman. Their eyes met as they clashed. Each knew this could be their final moment in life, or maybe the beginning of a new one."

"Will you just SHUT UP?!" Jiriya had just barely gotten under the woman's skin… just barely. Their kunais clanged as they jumped into the air again, only to be met by the other in a stalemate.

"Oh, come on. You have to agree that this is excellent material for the next Icha Icha novel. Come on, admit it. Now if you just surrendered then maybe I could show you how the rest of the story goes…"

"Shut up, pervert! You're almost 60!"

"I am only 55!" They clashed again, this time the enraged female managed to push Jiriya back and into the dirt.

"Die! Water Style: 10,000 Ice Needles!" The air around Jiriya was suddenly filled with needles of ice. Jiriya's body disappeared, revealing a log. "Damn you, old man!"

"I told you, I am not that old! We could still have a relationship! Age doesn't matter to me…" Jiriya came out of the trees with a hurt look on his face.

"Shut up, you annoying hermit!" She had finally prepared the finishing blow. After scattering water around the area with her last attacks, she was ready. It took too much chakra if she created ice directly. "Now you will die. Water Style: Frozen Decapitation!" Jiriya was suddenly out of ideas. Around him, and all over the area, thousands of swords had formed. Each floated in midair, beautiful as only ice could be, but controlled by the ice maiden of the Akatsuki. The setting sunlight shone through the blades, sending rainbows across the clearing. It was a beautiful place to die. Jiriya was suddenly regretting going easy on the Akatsuki member. He was out of plans or even witty remarks.

"Come now, you know it never would have worked out between us. Now be a good old pervert and just die." Swords came flying at Jiriya, who held his kunai, ready to fight to the last. He blocked one, then another. Their blades were locked and Jiriya could only stare as a third blade came at his neck. He closed his eyes, ready for the end._ I am sorry, Naruto. _When nothing happened for seconds, Jiriya risked a peek at what should have been his death. Nothing, all of the swords were gone. Jiriya managed to hold in his vomit as he stared at the body of his opponent. It was… gruesome. The head was mostly gone, the stomach had holes in it, and the bugs… _Bugs?_ Shino appeared in front of the sennin.

"…She is dead. I came to help. We all felt Naruto and then they had us do an… invasion drill. My insects have not had this kind of feast in a long time. Thank you for saving her for me.

"N… no problem…"

* * *

Hinata had made it to what appeared to be a stare case leading into the depths of the earth._ Naruto, I am coming. Wait for me!_

AN: Sorry, if you were expecting more of a fight from Akatsuki, wait for ONE MORE CHAPTER. It is far past time for the leader of the Akatsuki to die a horrible death at Naruto's hands... hehehehe... Ok, so I have already decided that there are going to be three more chapters and an epilogue. They will be long chapters. REVIEW PLEASE! I like seeing people write stuff, even if it is just flamers.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Everything has a happy ending? Is that what you want me to say? Well, then. I guess we will see.

Chapter 8: The End of All Things Part I

"Hinata, wait!" Hinata had been about to follow Naruto down through the hole in the ground when she heard her name being called from the direction of Konoha. She spotted the Kazekage, followed closely by the Hokage, Shikamaru, and Temari. They all came to a stop next to her, which was when Kakashi appeared next to her in a puff of smoke.

"Hinata, report."

"Yes, Hokage. I followed Naruto till his presence disappeared here. I assume he went down the stairs."

"Those walls seem familiar…" Kakashi had pocketed his book, and was examining the walls of the staircase with his sharingan revealed.

"They should, they are covered in the same type of seals that the underground tunnels are. This was made to block all chakra from escaping, so it is no wonder we can't sense Naruto anymore."

"Please, Hokage! We are losing Naruto!"

"…Here…" Gaara had coated the ground in his sand and was now lifting everyone down the deep shaft in the earth on a sand platform.

"Where are the others, Hinata?" Shikamaru knew that they would need every ounce of manpower to stand a chance against a possibly insane Naruto, let alone any other Akatsuki they might find.

"Sakura and Shizune stopped to fight a member of the Akatsuki with a large… thing on his head. Jiriya is fighting a blue haired lady."

"Zetsu… but I haven't heard of a women in the Akatsuki."

"It doesn't matter what they are doing. They are not here, so that makes us in a tighter spot then before. They are probably going to get here too late."

"Temari is right, but we still have a chance to stop Naruto from destroying Konoha if he recognizes Hinata."

"Destroys Konoha? But how? We are probably a quarter kilometer underground now! And we don't even know if this is going to lead towards Konoha." Shikamaru sighed. It looked like he would need to explain everything.

"These seals, they were made many years ago. The stairs are falling apart in most places. This is an extension to the evacuation tunnels under Konoha. It makes sense, being that this is on the opposite side of Konoha from most of our past enemies. The tunnels are pretty much the exact same as these. This was just an unrecorded extension that the First probably never had a chance to finish before his untimely death. I know it will go under Konoha, because we touched the bottom a few seconds ago and the doorway is right behind you. Now follow Gaara, before we loose him." Shikamaru calmly walked with his hands in his pockets between the startled Temari and Tsunade. Hinata was already directly behind the Kazekage, followed by Kakashi and the now running Shikamaru.

"That is one sharp kid."

"Yeah, why do you think I am dating him?" The two ran after the rest of their group.

* * *

Team Guy, Sakura and Shizune arrived just in time to watch Shino's insects devour the rest of the corpse's more edible parts. Ten-ten held back a retch as the insects crawled away from the skeletal remains of what should have been a human. 

"Jiriya, where is Hinata?" Sakura ran up to help the aged man to his feet. His face was white, though Sakura thought it was more from watching a body get devoured by flesh eating insects then weakness from a battle.

"W…what? Oh, yeah. She went after Naruto. Come on. And Shino…"

"…Yes?"

"Don't ever do that again unless I am not around!"

* * *

Naruto was rushing down the abnormally wide corridors, finding many large caverns, but always finding another doorway at the back of the last. If he had been in his right mind he would have been intrigued by the seals surround him on the walls. He also might have been wondering how he could even see, when there was no source of light in the entire place. He ran on all fours, now, with his tails whipping behind him at an increased speed. He could almost taste the presence of the person he was drawing closer to._ I am coming. I hope that you are ready to die. Then I can finally be at peace…_ Naruto finally arrived at his destination. He entered into a cavern easily the size of half of Konoha. The center of the large and mostly empty area held the only interesting landmark. A huge statue, grotesque in appearance, stood in the direct middle. Naruto wasn't even phased as he ran towards the enormous statue. It appeared to be a half buried statue of a nine eyed monster. Two enormous hands cam out of the ground in front of the body, each finger wide enough to have three people stand side by side on it. The hands stretched outwards, as if attempting to grasp some imaginary thing in front of the nine eyes. If he had bothered to look closer at the body, he would have seen that it went from the shoulders of the monster to the head. It was likely over a hundred feet tall. The head appeared to be nothing more then nine eyes, no mouth or nose. The statue was covered in slips of paper reading "seal". Also, many seals had been carved into the actual body of the mammoth statue. Naruto didn't care about any of that. He saw his prey. Sitting on top of the giant statue's head was one man, covered in shadow. Naruto stopped moving after he had climbed up one of the hands and gathered himself to pounce. The person stood up and opened his eyes. They revealed themselves to be made of many rings of various colors. 

"I guess… that you are… the Kyuubi container… yet… the Kyuubi isn't in you anymore…" Naruto smirked, speaking for the first time since seeing his wife's charred corpse. It wasn't his normal voice… it sounded as demonic as he appeared.

"**FOOL! I am the Kyuubi."**

* * *

Gaara stopped at the entrance to the next cavern. Standing in the middle of the medium sized area was another Akatsuki member. Hinata almost slammed into his back, as did the rest of the team. The Akatsuki removed his hat to reveal the face of an almost beautiful red haired man about Gaara's age. 

"You are Sasori of the sand."

"And you must be Gaara of the Desert. I have heard of you. You killed Deidara and Kakuzu with the help of the Kyuubi's container. You, yourself, are a demon container. The one tailed tanuki, Shukaku, if I am correct. I am sorry that I can not let you pass, Lord Kazekage. Maybe you would enjoy it if I had you met one of your predecessors. You could spend all the time you needed to… discuss… your life. Well, all the time you have left." Gaara didn't even change facial expressions as a puppet of the Third Kazekage appeared next to the puppet master.

"Go." Hinata looked at Gaara. "I said go, I will destroy this traitor to my village. It is my duty to Suna and to the previous Kazekages." Gaara walked forward as his gourd disintegrated into sand. Hinata and the rest ran around to the side, leaving Gaara facing off with the puppets.

"I am sorry, but you all really must stay. You don't have a choice, you will stay here. Dead or soon to be dead." Sasori sent the Third to intercept the running shinobi. It had pulled out two wicked looking blades, poisoned from what Tsunade could tell, and was about to attack Hinata from behind when it collided with a wall of sand.

"Your battle… is with me… traitor." Gaara held out his hand towards the puppet. Sand pushed it away from his comrades, leaving them the opening they needed to get through. As they passed through the arch into the next corridor Tsunade threw a piece of paper onto the wall.

"A small seal can't stop me… what?" Sasori had put his hands into the sign to release the seal, only to find that it was no ordinary seal. It was simple enough to dispel, but no matter what he did it would take exactly thirty seconds. It wasn't meant to be hard, just time consuming. Gaara had known exactly what was going on the second that the seal didn't disappear instantly.

"Concentrate on me." Gaara held his puppet of the third in his sand's grasp. He clenched his fist, destroying the puppet and crushing it into tiny pieces. All of the needles and weapons contained in the puppet fell to the ground, useless. Sasori was angry. He had failed the boss and had allowed people past him.

"Fool. You would think a Kazekage would know better then to take me on alone."

"Your puppets are useless against my sand." Gaara moved his sand around him, preparing for his next assault. Sasori sneered at the unmoving and unflinching Kazekage. He removed a scroll and released two puppets. Each was a perfect replica of Sasori himself. Gaara understood.

"You are also a puppet." Sasori managed to contain his surprise at Gaara's deduction. That was not something he wanted to reveal to this very capable opponent. "Very well, then you will be crushed also."

"Just try."

Gaara called up a massive amount of sand from around his feet before sending it streaking towards the fabled puppet master. All three went flying away, sprouting metal wings from their backs. The wings folded to their sides and began to spin like saw blades. The three Sasoris flew faster then Gaara's huge amount of sand could follow. One came in to slice Gaara in half, but found out the hard way that Gaara's sand defense, honed and perfected over his entire life, was much better then anticipated. The blades were immediately stopped by Gaara's sand, inches from his face. The sand crept up the trapped puppet before coating it completely in sand. Gaara used the ball of sand to crush the puppet. When he released the sand, the pieces of the puppet fell, revealing that it hadn't been the real Sasori. Gaara hadn't even moved the entire time, but his steadfastness was his demise. Two more Sasoris came at him from different angles, and while one was being covered by the sand, the other used a blade that came out of it's wrist to cut Gaara's head in half.

"Fool!" Sasori didn't even pay attention to his other puppet as he focused on the seal again. He was almost done with it when he realized that his feet were covered in sand._ What the hell?_ Gaara appeared out of the ground, shedding sand as he rose. Sasori looked to where his lifeless body should have been. It was dissolving into sand. His other puppet had already been crushed. Sasori grinned at Gaara, an innocent grin that a boy caught stealing cookies would give to an elder brother or sister.

"So you got me." Gaara's sand covered his entire lower body and held his arms in place. If he had wanted to move, he couldn't anymore. Gaara's sand felt around his upper body, as if looking for something._ No! He can't know about it! How the hell could have figured it out?_ Sasori began struggling at the sand. Gaara's sand stopped over his left breast.

"You really should try harder to keep your chakra source disguised. Especially when it is in only one point in your entire body. Now, if I am correct, this is your… heart." Gaara made a fist with one hand as Sasori's puppet body screamed in pain. Suddenly the puppet went limp. Gaara took no chances. He had learned early on that expert shinobi could stop their hearts for short periods of time. And could possibly escape a half hearted sand tomb. Gaara's sand covered the body completely.

"Desert Funeral." Gaara clenched both fists at the large pile of sand. It visibly contracted to almost half of its original size. Gaara held it there for almost ten minutes, pouring more and more chakra into making sure that every part of the puppet's body was broken down into the size of dust specks.

"Gaara!" Gaara turned to see Rock Lee run up, followed by a large group of shinobi. "Gaara, how are you? Are you following Naruto, too? What is in that pile of sand over there? Did you just have a fight? Are you ok? Where…" Lee was forced to stop when Neji smacked him upside the head. Sakura took over for her boyfriend, who was on the ground rubbing his head and injured pride.

"Gaara, where are the others?"

"Up ahead, go!" Gaara used the last of his chakra to unseal the next corridor. Gaara knelt on the ground after that, still emotionless, but gave a small grunt of exhaustion. Shizune knelt next to him.

"I can stay with Gaara, everyone else GO!" Jiriya led, followed closely by Sakura and Lee as they entered the next doorway.

* * *

Pein had jumped down to the other hand and Naruto prepared to kill. 

"So, Kyuubi. You finally… overpowered your container…"

"**No! The container became the Kyuubi, not the other way around. Are you the leader of the Akatsuki?"**

"Really? So the Kyuubi is dead… no… it is reborn…"

"**Are you the one who hired all of those thugs to come after me?"**

"Yes."

"**Good, then I will finally be able to kill you!" **Naruto jumped towards the other hand, chakra blazing around his body. Pein jumped towards him, also. They met half way and clashed. They each landed on the opposite hand then where they had started. Naruto looked down at his side, which now had a gash in it that looked like it had come from a wind jutsu. Pein turned to face the tailed ninja with wind surrounding a kunai.

"**You didn't use any seals…"**

"And you call me the fool? Do my eyes look normal? I have a Kekkei Genkai that allows me to use ninjustu without the use of words or signs."

"**Not like it even matters. I will kill you here. You can't even imagine the power I have, and now that I have nothing to live for I won't hold ANYTHING back!"**

"Not even your little wife? I heard you were wed recently…"

"**I KILLED HER, YOU BASTARD! SHE DIED WHEN I WAS KILLING YOUR THUGS! YOU ARE GOING TO DIE FOR THAT!"**

"… It doesn't really matter. She couldn't love a demon, like you. It was all a plan by the Forth Hokage. He put that fox inside of you for the same reason that all demons were put into humans…"

"**WHAT?"**

"You were born to be a human weapon. And when you became unstable and were no longer able to fight in battle for fear of losing your mind to the demon inside, at an early age as all vessels do, you would be told to breed. Clans and villages that are always attempting to gain in power… how do you think the Kekkei Genkai were created? All that they are, are the remains of demon blood flowing in the veins of the remains of families that once had a demon vessel in their family tree. It is better off that both you and her died, before another curse on the human blood was created."

"… **Did you just say... that it was better for everyone that Hinata died…"** Naruto's voice was low as he turned away from the leader of the Akatsuki.

"Yes."

"**Well, do you know something, bastard? It wasn't better for her or me! YOU DON'T THINK WE WERE IN LOVE? I WILL PROVE IT BY KILLING YOU TO FULFILL THE FIRST PROMISE I EVER MADE TO HER AND THE LAST PROMISE I MADE OVER HER LIFELESS CORPSE!"** Chakra started pouring out of Naruto, covering his entire body in a coating of blood red chakra to match his blood stained clothes and tails. He stared into Pein's eyes before lifting a fist out towards him, with blood red chakra almost dripping from his fingers. **"I VOW TO WIN!"**

AN: Time to get serious. One more chapter till I release the rest all at once. I have the rest of the story completely planned out. Hehehe... oh, and if you thought Sasori was more of a challenge then I made him out to be, you are wrong. The anime fight is pretty cool, but sand can clog a puppets joints in the same way that Shino used in the Chunin exams against Kankoro. Sasori was up against the worst possibly person for him to be up against. Gaara should never be underestimated, he rocks. Second favorite character in all of Naruto. Hinata, Gaara, Naruto, Lee, ect. OK... so the next chapter will obviously be Naruto v. Pein in a no-holds barred, everything goes, free for all to the death. Hinata is coming close to Naruto, will he finally snap out of it? If you think that one man against the Fifth, three Jonin, a sennin, and another group of ninjas is an unfair fight then you... are making the same mistake Kiba made about Naruto. Don't underestimate the power of the dark side... yeah.

AN: UPDATED Sorry, had a problem with the upload and a quote was left out. It is now in.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Welcome, again, to my last chapter that I will post for a little while. The next two of this story and the first of my next story will be posted at the same time. As soon as they are written they will be out. So, now it is time for a fight. Ready?

Chapter 9: End of All Things Part II

Naruto couldn't remember the last time he felt this way. It was anger, hate, sadness, despair, and every negative emotion he had ever felt all in one. He had never felt this way before. Ever. Or… at least that as far as he could remember. Only one memory ran through his head when he least expected or wanted it. _Her charred body._ Naruto faltered, fist in the air, seconds ago he had been ready to rip the heart out of the man in front of him. Now, part of him just wanted to die now and not wait until his opponent was dead. _After all, it was I who…_ He froze up, and Pein used this to his advantage.

"If you won't fight me… then you will surely die!" Pein jumped from the statue's great hand and onto the hand Naruto stood on. Pein though it incredibly easy when he struck Naruto across his face with his kunai, slicing into the flesh and carving an arc from his forehead above his left eye, across his nose and down the right side of his chin. Pein then backhanded him off of the hand and into the wall behind him. It was a distance of almost a half of a kilometer. Naruto smashed into the wall and slid down, perfectly fine in body but still unmoving. _I swore to win. But in killing her… I have already lost. There is no "winning" today._ Pein appeared in front of him as he leaned against the wall. Pein drew back a sizable katana to stab through Naruto's heart. The blade came rushing forward, still with Naruto not making a move.

"Where is the power I felt moments ago?" Pein's blade came within centimeters of Naruto's chest, ready to pierce his heart. Suddenly, Naruto's hand shot up and pierced itself on the blade, directing it into a less fatal area of his shoulder. Now his right hand was pinned against his left shoulder. Pein was slightly surprised at the speed it traveled, though he knew it was only about as fast as his own speed. He was the fastest ninja to ever live, most likely. Naruto's left hand came up to the blade of the sword. He gripped it slightly, not even looking up from the ground, which he had been staring at since landing.

"No winning today. No. Not without her." His voice had calmed down a slight bit, which pleased Pein a little. But what came next was as frightening as… he couldn't even remember something as frightening. It was a killer intent, but not just any killer intent. Pein was probably the most powerful ninja in the world and his hands and knees were shaking, it wasn't human. It was demonic. Naruto's head slowly came up from its place on his chest. His facial expression contained what could only be described as blood lust. It had been a lesser ninja, Naruto's opponent would have likely passed out or died of heart failure. The idea was that death, as undesirerable as it may be, would have been seemed like the better of two choices. Either stay, with death staring you in the face, or go out the only way possible.

"But even if winning is out of the question… **you will die.**" A chakra surge from Naruto threw Pein back towards the statue, leaving the sword pinning Naruto to the wall.

"**I will kill you with only this one hand.**" Naruto stood up, ripping the katana from the wall in the process, leaving it in his shoulder next to the kunai he had put there himself. Naruto's body was covered once again in the chakra that reminded Pein of blood. It oozed off of his body like a thick liquid, disappearing as it fell. Pein was already on his feet.

"Hmm, so now you decide to fight. Fine." A large pillar of earth came from the ground in front of Naruto, slamming him against the wall again, this time burying him three meters into the rock. "Too bad you can't even be called a fight." The pillar exploded. From the smoke Pein sensed, less then saw, a figure emerge and head towards him. He raised a kunai just in time to block a strike to his neck from a claw. Naruto still stood.

"**No, this is no fight. It will be a slaughter."** Naruto pushed on Pein suddenly, throwing him into the air and the rest of the way back to the statue. This time, Naruto followed.

Pein recovered, seeing Naruto charging him. He only had seconds, even thought Naruto was almost half a kilometer away. Suddenly, massive geysers of boiling water exploded in Naruto's way. He wasn't even fazed as he ran in between the gushing water that would have burned even a demon badly. A wall of intense flames rose in his way, only to have Naruto run through it. Pein summoned another katana, giving him better reach then the demon's claws. He froze for a second before pushing his chakra into every muscle in his body. The leader of the Akatsuki was ready to play. They met in a clashing of blades and claws. Naruto tried to push Pein back again, but this time it was an even match of strength. Subconsciously, Naruto knew what Pein was doing, but he didn't care. His attacks were wild and unpredictable, Pein was barely able to block, let alone attack. Naruto smiled a smile that chilled Pein to his core.

Pein sensed what Naruto was about to do and summoned another katana in his free hand. Naruto was bringing his tails into play. Now that he had slipped into the mindset of the demon he had become, he knew how to use his tails to the fullest. Tail after tail, surrounded by chakra, sharp as any sword, longer then any spear, and as flexible as whips, flew at Pein even as he blocked Naruto's claw. But the leader of the most powerful group in the world was not about to be outclassed. He poured even more chakra into his body, glowing from the overflowing energy, and sped up to the point where his arms were a blur, blocking every attack Naruto threw at him. His eyes grew wide when he saw that one tail was not attacking but instead was charging up a large blue ball of chakra. _Rasengan!_ Pein jumped out of the way as the tail struck down towards him. The explosion knocked him into the statue's main body, though he immediately was ready to continue the fight.

"You… aren't fighting at all…"

"**What?**"

"You are just randomly swinging around in a rage… There is no way you can beat me like that… I will show you what power really is."

Pein charged Naruto, this time even faster. His two katana seemed to disappear as his arms moved with enough speed to blur in even Naruto's vision. Two tails managed to block each katana, but his attack was not just a simple one hit wonder of speed. They kept coming. Pein was forcing Naruto back, his swords moving so fast every tail on Naruto was busy blocking because the power of the strikes would take two tails to block and even his tails couldn't move fast enough to block every hit. Naruto had his left hand free, so he began to do one handed seals in an attempt to use his time jutsu.

"No, you don't get to use jutsu." A pillar of earth in the shape of a fist rose to punch Naruto in the gut, sending him flying. "That would be cheating." Pein was flying next to him, still attacking. Naruto began to regain some sense of mentality in his rage filled mind. Pein had no idea that his attacks were forcing Naruto to think once again. Naruto remembered his training. He began to channel the chakra flowing around his body into a more useful area then around him. His muscles grew from the energy given. He landed and used two tails to wrap around the katana. Pein went wide-eyed as he saw an intelligence in Naruto's eyes that hadn't been there a moment ago. Naruto had two tails behind him with rasengan on them. He did a quick hand seal, one he hadn't had to use in a long time. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Suddenly five more demons appeared along side Naruto, each with two rasengans on there tails. The shadow clones all pulled the katana out of their shoulders and smirked at Pein.

"I don't think you have any choice in the matter of what I do, bastard." Naruto threw his rasengan at Pein, forcing him to release his katana and jump. Two more Narutos came at him, each with a rasengan aimed at him. Earthen walls rose up to either side of him, blocking the clones for a moment before the walls exploded into fragments of rock and dirt. They burst from the flying rubble with the second rasengan aimed at him, only to be shocked when the two rasengans caused Pein to disappear into smoke. The real Pein was running back towards the real Naruto, who was merely staring in awe at his two clones. When the two rasengans collided the entire area filled with winds strong enough to tear up earth and rock. The winds didn't die down for what seemed like minutes.

Pein, Naruto, and all of Naruto's clones were blown back into the walls with enough force to cause both ninjas to cough up blood and disperse the clones. Pein was now on the opposite side of the area from Naruto. He managed to heal his broken ribs with a quick jutsu, but he knew that the pain wouldn't go away until he had time to pay more attention to it. Naruto felt his demon blood setting the bones back into place. His eyes were still red, but the battle had forced his rational self into existence again.

_I can't let that happen. I used to be smarter then this. I was a battle expert. I was going to be Hokage. I was going to… damn._ Naruto stood up, this time with his brain turned on._ For her sake I will not let him get away._

"So, it looks like you have finally decided to give up."

"No… I gave up when I saw my wife's dead body."

"So… you are accepting defeat…"

"No. I am going to kill you. Why do you make me repeat myself over and over? I have told you so many times already. You are going to die."

"Well, over course I am going to die. Everyone dies, Naruto. Even people you love die, they just die faster when you fail to protect them."

"Bastard!"

"I didn't kill your wife, Naruto. You did."

"I know that! I know I killed her! I have no reason or will to live anymore! But I swear that you, the one who was the cause behind her death, will perish before I do."

"I… do not see that happening."

"How are you going to stop me?"

"Oh, the same way that you stopped Gaara of the desert from killing you back in the day. The same way you were able to defeat Zabuza, the demon of the mist, all those years ago. The same thing that you used when you attempted to recapture your deceased friend at the valley of the end." Pein began to glow more, this time with a sickly green glow instead of the regular blue. He stared across the distance at Naruto, a tiny speck in the distance, directly into his eyes. "You weren't the only one… with a demon inside of you… **Naruto**."

* * *

Hinata and the rest of the group had been about to enter a massive chamber from what they could see when they had all been blown back up the passageway by tremendous winds. Tsunade had been knocked unconscious with most everyone in the group. Hinata had been thrown directly into the Hokage's stomach, which was probably the reason the Hokage was not conscious and Hinata was. She managed to get up from the disorienting fall and lean against the wall, using chakra on her hands and feet to hold her if another wind like it came up._ That must be Naruto! The wind was so strong. If he is already fighting then we need to help him._ She looked back at her unconscious friends._ I could leave them here and get to Naruto myself…_

"_Those who abandon their comrades are less then trash!"_

Hinata shook her head at the memory of her husband's phrase. _No, I need to help them first, or I might be not enough to stop him and help him._ Hinata rushed to the Hokage's side and began doing first aid jutsus.

* * *

Naruto was hanging on, but just barely. Pein had unleashed some sort of monster. The charka around him was almost disgusting in color and presence, but frightening at the same time. Four large tails of chakra had sprouted from his back. _That explains why he seems to be adept at most elements. He is a demon container. The four tailed demon. _Naruto was ready. 

"**Foolish Boy! You fought on even terms with us before, and now we have more then ten times the power we had then. You still think you can defeat me?"**

"I don't need to defeat you, demon. I just need to defeat Pein." Naruto was attacking. He charged across the open field of battle towards Pein. "Once your container is dead then you have no chance. I might have only become Kyuubi a short time ago, but nine is greater then four any day!" Naruto hid his one arm behind his back. Pein smiled._ He must be charging up a rasengan. We are faster then that!_ Pein charged also, but much faster then Naruto. They met in the middle. Naruto pulled his arm out from behind his back to show… nothing. It was just a hand sign…

"No you die!" Naruto pulled the katana from his shoulder as time slowed to a stop. Pein had a look in his eyes that showed incomprehension. _He must have not heard of me learning this technique. _Naruto cut off one of Pein's arms. Then he cut the throat of the ninja. He then drew the sword across Pein's chest. Finally, he removed the ninja's other arm. Time began to speed up once again. Pein stopped where he was, with Naruto now behind him, both arms free and Pein's katana in his left hand. In his right hand was a wind style rasengan. Naruto knew that using the wind style rasengan at this power would probably break every bone in his arm, and maybe deplete every cell of chakra, but he could probably recover. Pein would die, most likely, and then he wouldn't even need to recover from it.

Naruto suddenly felt a massive chakra surge from behind him, where Pein should have been wallowing in his own blood. He turned to see the arms of the ninja rise up from the ground and reattach themselves to his shoulders. The cuts on his body healed, the blood all that remained of his wounds. Pein turned to face Naruto. Naruto wasn't surprised. He wasn't startled. Naruto was angry. He was angry that he hadn't finished him off when he had had the chance.

"So, you still survive." Naruto started the hand signs again. "I guess I will need to completely destroy your body, then." Pein didn't talk any more. Naruto could sense something different about him. "You… aren't Pein… are you?"

"**No, I am not. Pein is out right now. I am in control." **The thing that had once been Pein charged Naruto with such speed Naruto couldn't even finish the last sign he needed before he was forced to block four chakra tails and two fists. Naruto had never fought another person with tails, so it was perfectly understandable when one slipped under his defense and slammed him into the base of the statue's hand. Naruto was immediately on all fours, ready to fight beast to beast. Pein charged at the same time Naruto did. Naruto jumped over him and blocked the four tails of chakra with his tails. When he landed, he didn't face his enemy. He merely used his senses to use all nine of his tails to his own advantage. All of them flailed around, blocking and attempting to hit the four tailed demon. Naruto felt him jump. He smiled. "Hell's Wind." Pein's eyes opened up as he flew over Naruto. Naruto was holding a large orb of fire and wind. He aimed it at Pein.

"You die now, bastard." The orb seemed to collapse in on itself before sending a stream of super heated air and fire directly into Pein.

* * *

Hinata had managed to wake the Hokage and then Sakura. The rest had all come around quickly after that. They were now at the door way that they had been blown back from. Hinata ran forward into the massive chamber. Naruto stood with his back to her and the rest of the group, firing a stream of intense flames directly into and through some… thing's body. Hinata stared as the body turned to dust as it fell towards the ground, leaving a weird chakra seemingly standing on its own. Everyone was able to here the voice that came from it. 

"**Free. Finally I have been freed. I would thank you, Kyuubi, but it would be pointless when I kill you."**

"No… I don't care about you. I only needed to kill him. So now… die." Naruto rushed the chakra and… grabbed it. Everyone behind Hinata gasped as Naruto lifted the chakra above his head and threw it into the statue using his tails. The chakra was about to touch the statue when it was suddenly absorbed. A fourth eye opened on the statue. Naruto sunk to his knees.

"Finally… now I can die…" Naruto removed the kunai from his shoulder. "It almost feels like she is right here…" Naruto smiled his first real smile in days. "I guess I will finally be able to go see her…" He placed the kunai over his heart.

"NARUTO!"

_What? Is that… it can't…_ Naruto was suddenly wrapped up from behind in an embrace he would know forever. His eyes instantly became blue again. His body returned to its normal color and shape. He used a tail to pick up the person behind him and bring her around to his front. He lowered her to the ground. He just stared.

"Naruto… are you ok?"

"Hi…nata… how… what…" Naruto was suddenly being kissed by his wife. The rest of the ninjas stayed back at the entrance, most stunned by Naruto's appearance, the rest just not wanting to interrupt his reunion with his wife. Naruto's lips were busy for minutes before he finally was able to speak again. "Hinata… I… though you were…"

"We hid under the rocks, those bodies weren't ours."

"Then... those bodies... the people in sound..."

"Naruto... I still love you."

Naruto embraced his wife even more. The rest of the ninja waiting at the entry all sighed, expecting more of a fight. It was Gaara, just walking into the cavern, who saw it.

"Watch out!" Gaara had never raised his voice. Ever. Naruto managed to look over his shoulder towards his friend. Instantly, he felt a blade pass through his body, piercing a lung and going completely through his body. He turned to find Hinata's eyes glazed over and the hilt of a katana sticking out of her back.

"W…what? Hinata?" He pulled the blade out of her back and laid her on the ground. "Hinata?" Hinata's eyes were unseeing as blood dripped from the wound in her heart and from her mouth. "Hinata! HINATA!" Naruto clutched the lifeless body of his wife to his own. Tears streamed down his face as he held the unresponsive body of his loved one. He heard laughter in the distance. It was coming from the top of the statue. It was coming from a man with a mask over half of his head. As he removed it everyone except Naruto gasped. It looked exactly like Itachi and Sasuke.

"I am glad you killed Pein for me, Naruto. He was getting… out of hand… recently."

"..."

"Nothing to say? I just killed the woman you loved and you can't even speak?"

"..."

"You are pathetic. You probably want to curl up and die, don't you? You thought she was dead, even though she wasn't, and then when she comes back she dies again, for real! Isn't it laughable, your pathetic human emotions. The only ones of any worth are anger and hate. They are what have let me live all these years. For hundreds of years I have strived to gain complete immortality. I knew only one race of creatures that could live forever. Demons. I knew that it was possible to create something capable of capturing demons and then eventually transfering them to myself. I created the Akatsuki for this purpose. I now have the one-tail, the two-tail, the three-tail, and the four-tail. Do you understand what that means? If I absorb the chakra of these four demons then I will have ten tails. More than any other demon in the universe. More then you. Once you are out of my way, there will be nothing to stop me from destroying the earth or conquering it and subjecting all life unto myself. I will be immortal in my hatred and anger..."

"No you won't." Naruto stood up. His body had once again become that of a demon. His tails and eyes were once again the color of blood. "You will die, and that is all." A tear dropped from his eye onto Hinata's face. "Immortality? That is what you want? Well… I have it. But there is no life at all without Hinata. So now I am going to kill you, in my own hatred, in my own anger, and in revenge for Hinata. I will kill you…" Naruto's wounds had all healed. He was facing the man on the statue. "Madara Uchiha."

AN: Hate me all you want. I deserve it. Next chapter, I have decided, will end the story. The epilogue will also be posted at the same time. I expect it to be longer then a regular chapter, but maybe not. Next update will be sometime within a week. Stay tuned. The story doesn't die with Hinata.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: I received a review that disturbed me greatly… would people actually stop reading because Hinata died? Yes, I said you could hate me, but not stop reading because of it. I never leave a bad after taste and this is the second to last chapter so maybe something will happen. Now, remember, I like to stick to the reality of the manga. So if people _can't_ be brought back to life in that then there won't be any of that is THIS story… understand?

Chapter 10: The End of All Things Part III

* * *

Tsunade was stunned to see Hinata stabbed through the heart, as was the entire group. When Naruto changed… she feared the worst. Naruto had stepped away from Hinata's body and was now walking calmly towards the last Uchiha.

"Lee."

"Right." Lee was gone in a flash, and back seconds later with the body of the young woman. Lee was only gone for moments, but her had tears in his eyes when he laid the body at the feet of the Hokage. Sakura ran up.

"Is she…"

"Don't look, Sakura." Lee held her away from the body. "There isn't anything we can do…"

"N…no…" Sakura dropped to her knees and let Lee hold her as she wept for her friend. Neji drew a kunai and made as if to join Naruto. Ten-ten was able to hold him back before Jiriya knocked him out. Shikamaru, quiet up until now, muttered a curse as Temari broke into sobs on his shoulder. Shizune was kneeling next to the body with the Hokage as Jiriya watched the combatants close on each other.

"Tsunade." Jiriya didn't turn to face her. "It would be unwise to use that jutsu right now."

"What?"

"I know that you were considering it. Don't use it unless Naruto wins."

"… ok."

"Shizune, in order to protect the Hokage you are going to do exactly as she tells you when the time comes. If you fail, she will die."

"What are you talking about?"

"A jutsu that I learned… after he died… It was meant to prevent anymore people I loved from dying… it can bring recently killed people back from the dead…"

"What?" Sakura's voice betrayed her sense of confusion. "If you can do it, then why…"

"Because unless it is done very carefully by more then one person, the user will die in exchange."  
Everyone was silent at that.

"If Naruto wins then we will attempt to use it, but if he doesn't… there won't be much point. Shizune, listen carefully as I explain what to do…"

"Before you do that, Tsunade, you might want to retreat into the tunnels. Things look like they are about to heat up beyond our abilities."

* * *

Naruto was now directly in front of the cursed Uchiha, who stood in between the hands of the statue. Naruto was thinking clearly for the first time in days. He was dedicating his entire mind to the thoughts of revenge. He played the death of his adversary through is mind thousands of times in an instant. He smiled as he bit his thumb.

"You know… I once thought that you Uchiha's were all so powerful. Stuck up snobs who just happened to have one of the most powerful Kekkei Genkai in the world. I realized after getting to know two of your kind that you are not the powerful snobs I once thought. No, you are just snobs."

"Snob? Me? Why I never thought that term would be used on me. Maybe "murder" or "psychopath", but "snob"? Come on, you are an imaginative young man! Think of something a little more hurtful to say."

"Why, when I can just hurt you for real?"

"Hahaha. Good one, kid. Despite me having lived longer then ten regular humans I still have a sense of humor."

"Good, it will make me feel better when I remove it along with the rest of your internal organs!"

"You… really don't know what a sense of humor is, do you? Or was that a joke? Hahaha, I get it! Funny! I'll remember that one as I rule the people of the earth like the slaves they deserve to be."

"Really, do you think they all deserve death or slavery? Well, maybe you can rethink that to your heart's content in hell."

"You… are… so serious. Here I am, ten times you own strength, and you keep cracking jokes about how you are going to kill me! For your little wife! You should lighten up before I kill you."

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto slammed his hand into the ground, creating a large plume of smoke. Madara just laughed.

"Heh. You think a low level jutsu like that will have any chance of hurting me. What did you summon? A big scary frog? Or maybe a big scary fox."  
The smoke cleared, leaving nothing but Naruto there. Madara glanced around the area, knowing that nothing in this chamber could evade his senses, especially with his mangkyo sharingan active like it was. Nothing. Madara didn't smile now. It was almost like a whole other personality had taken over his body.

"Bring it on, fox boy. I want to get this over with."

Naruto smirked at the ninja. He did a few more hand signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The huge room was now filled completely by nine tailed ninjas. The only part not covered, including the walls and ceiling, was the statue in the middle of the room. Madara just looked on at the clones with a sort of pity and boredom. He attacked.

"Fast" wasn't the word that would have been used to describe Madara Uchiha. Fast would have been saying that the rules of physics seemed to apply to him. Madara simply disappeared for a second before reappearing on the top of the statue. A moment later every clone that had been on the ground dispersed in a cloud of smoke. Naruto was not among them. Madara simply looked at the clones on the ceiling before unleashing black fire from his cloak's arms that seemed to expand to cover the entire ceiling and walls. The fire did not burn out, though the screams of Narutos disappearing filled the cavern. Naruto was not among them, either. Suddenly, Naruto appeared in an equal show of speed.

"You are pretty fast, but I bet you that you aren't as fast as me."

"You shouldn't make foolish bets, kid." Madara disappeared, intent on finishing Naruto in a single blow. He was behind Naruto before his shadow faded. Naruto appeared to not even be able to move. He slowly turned to see the Uchiha behind him with a katana raised behind his neck. Madara brought the blade down with one thought. _You lose that bet._ It sounded strange to Madara when, instead of the delightfully sickening crunch of bones and flesh, he heard the clanging of steel on steel. It was then that he noticed the tri-pronged kunai that was holding his blade off._ What? His arms… were at his sides moments ago._ Naruto twisted the kunai and snapped the blade of Madara's katana in half. Madara was suddenly less cocky as Naruto spun around faster then even he could see with his eyes and shoved the kunai into his stomach. _Fast…_ Naruto used the kunai and Madara's neck to throw him back into the statue. Madara was stunned by the turn of events, but quickly pulled the kunai out, spraying a small amount of blood onto the ground. He was better prepared now.

"I win the bet. I always do."

"Maybe you should have bet me that I wouldn't kill you wife? Then she might be alive still."

Naruto sneered at the shinobi. "Are you trying to get me angry? Well, that won't work. You see, there is just this point I have where I can't get any angrier. And when I reach that point, I snap. I snapped a while ago, so you have nothing to worry about. I won't leave you paralyzed or in a lot of pain. I just intend to slaughter you." Naruto was now standing on the other side of the statue then when he was with Hinata. He bit his thumb again before doing hand signs and touching his palm to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" The smoke cleared to reveal, once again, nothing. Naruto was suddenly dashing all over the room, summoning nothing, but casting the jutsu hundreds of times. When he was done he was once again in front of the ninja.

"I don't really care what you were trying to do."

"Good, I have no intention of telling you until it would be too late for you."  
Naruto charged this time. His body glowing even more then in his fight with Pein.

* * *

Neji was awake again and watching from the entry way as Naruto fought with the evil chakra source he saw. Using Byakugan had helped him follow the fight, but not even he could see the ninja when they used all of there speed. He had been slightly confused by Naruto summoning nothing, but knew that the blond ninja had a plan. _If I have learned anything from that shinobi over these past years, it is that he isn't dumb. He might not act intelligent, but the guy has battle instincts that any shinobi would envy._ Neji was inspecting Naruto's chakra system due to the weird irregularities in it._ How could I have missed the tails? Whatever he was doing to hide them must have been an incredibly powerful genjutsu. The chakra coils are different in mores ways then that, though. They are almost three times as wide in diameter as mine or any regular humans. And it is almost like an infinite amount is being supplied to it constantly. So this is what a demon looks like… what?_ Neji turned off his Byakugan just in time to not be blinded by a chakra surge from Naruto. _I wish that I could see what was going on better. _

Gaara stood next to Neji, viewing the massive amount of chakra flying around the arena. He knew the power. He had once thought himself the most powerful ninja alive. That was until he met Naruto and was beaten by not even one hundredth of his total power. And Naruto had gotten stronger. Gaara wished that he could help, but knew that this was a fight between people out of his league. A nine tailed demon and a man able to preserve his body for hundreds of years. _I feel so useless._ His sand came up to block a rock fragment from an explosion caused by jutsus too fast to see. _I can only have faith in him. _

Oddly, Shikamaru was the only other person watching the fight. He was not admiring the power of the opponents, though. He was amazed at Naruto's strategies. _What he is doing with those summonings… if I am right, then he might be as genius as me. He has all of the ability to turn some of my best strategies into reality. If he ever reaches Hokage then I don't know if I would find it too troublesome to hold some office under him… better then running back and forth to Suna. _Naruto dodged a series of attacks that Shikamaru had trouble seeing an escape to._ This is better then shogi._

Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune all waited around the body of Hinata. Tsunade had shown them the way to use the jutsu. It was amazingly simple for such a lifesaving device. But, much like the chakra gates, couldn't be used to the full extent of the users power without severe repercussions. Sakura watched her hands change from a green glow to blue and back. She would be ready if… no… when Naruto won.

Jiriya walked up behind Neji and looked out on the battle. He had no idea who was winning at all. Then he saw it._ Shit!_ He didn't speak as he grabbed Shikamaru and Neji before sprinting towards the rest of the group. Gaara followed behind He was doing hand signs as he went. "Earth Style: Ore Shield!" A two meter thick metal wall rose up, covering the only entrance into the cavern. Gaara looked back, wondering what it was for.

"Everyone, follow me as fast as you can! Earth Style: Mud Tunnel!" Jiriya slammed a fist into the rock wall, causing it to turn into mud for a long distance. Jiriya ran down the tunnel before turning away from the cavern and creating another tunnel. He looked back at the startled faces of his comrades.

"Sakura, get their asses in here! He is using the same attack that he used before! The one that…"

"No way! Everyone, go!" Sakura grabbed Lee by the back of his jumpsuit and dragged him as far down the tunnel as she could. Tsunade took Hinata's body and everyone else ran down the tunnels. Jiriya had Gaara continue digging further away from the cavern as he began sealing them into the tunnels with multiple steal walls.

* * *

Naruto had been attacking for what seemed like hours, but if he only took into account the time that had actually passed and not the time he had consumed in his time alteration jutsu it was only a few minutes. He threw another rasengan at near light speed into his enemy, only to have it dodged again. _DAMN IT!_ The rock under his feet exploded again. Naruto threw another rasengan, this one off of another tail, into the jumping ninja, only to have it disappear in smoke. _DAMN IT!_ Naruto began charging up the only attack he knew would be able to at least wound the ninja. _I used it once before with… serious drawbacks… but now I have nothing to lose, so I can put even more energy into it. _All of his tails began swirling around his middle tail, bringing their chakra into the forming fire and wind attack. Madara took one look at the attack before beginning signs for an attack. "Water Style: Dragon Waterfall!" Water came out from behind Madara forming a massive lake. He motioned with his hands and a huge wave of dragon heads came out of the water before flowing over Madara and heading towards Naruto. Madara was surrounded by a bubble in the wave of water dragons. Naruto smiled. _That won't help you._ Naruto jumped onto the statue's hand, still charging the ball of death. The wave of dragons was coming closer, but Naruto knew that they wouldn't have time to hit him. His smile became a shout of victory. "Fire and Wind Style: HELL!" He poured as much chakra as he could into the ball, destabilizing it. It burned like a sun for a moment before going critical. The water dragons were only inches from Naruto's face when he uttered the same word he had fighting against Gaara.

"Boom…"

* * *

Gaara had created a small chamber in the bed rock using his sand. Jiriya was working on putting up another wall.

"Master Jiriya… I do not think this is necessary. Whatever his attack is, I would be able to block it with my sand." Jiriya sighed.

"No, Gaara, you wouldn't be able to. This attack is the same one he used to wipe out every living thing in a five mile radius. We only survived by being under a hundred feet of rock. The attack he is using right now is about twice as powerful as that one." Gaara went wide eyed at that.

"The explosion a few days ago…"

"Yep."

Gaara started reinforcing the last metal wall with own sand. Neji looked slightly worried.

"Has he used it yet?"

"Oh, you will know when he uses…" Suddenly the entire earth started shaking.

* * *

Iruka had not anticipated this. _What the hell? An earthquake? Why now, when we need to keep all of these people in these stupid caverns… oh no…_ The seals on the walls began to distort in his vision. Something, somewhere, was using enough chakra to overpower the seals of the hiding place. _What could be that strong? Nothing has been able to distort the seals like this since… the… Kyuubi… attack…_ a seal on the wall cracked.

* * *

Gaara had left an eye of sand on the outside of the wall to see what was going on. It proved to be a mistake when it turned to glass, causing some pain in his real eye.

"The fire…"

"When does it stop?" Ten-ten shouted over the rumbling of the jutsu.

"I don't know, it could be only a minute, but it could be five." Gaara looked with total seriousness at Jiriya.

"We don't have five minutes. I just felt the fourth of eight walls fall. I will reinforce the walls with my sand, but it isn't going to last much longer."

"Eight? I only made five."

"Oh." Gaara turned to see the metal wall begin to heat up. Then, as soon as it began, it stopped. The wall closest to the cavern was untouchably hot, but the jutsu as done.

* * *

Naruto didn't step off of the hand of the still cool statue. The entire cavern had become a pool of molten rock. It flowed over the floor many feet thick. His tails swished in happiness, knowing his opponent must be dead. Naruto sat down to wait for the ground to cool so that he could find his kunai and finish it all. Naruto wasn't even tired._ This must be what they meant when they said the Kyuubi had ultimate power. I must have absolutely near limitless pools of chakra. _Naruto just sat, trying not to think, as the lava began to cool. He was almost ready to jump down and dig through the just cooled rock for his kunai that he planned to kill himself with when chakra spiked behind him. And below him. And to his left. _What the…_ The hand holding Naruto suddenly went from open palmed to clenched fist, with Naruto being crushed inside of it.

"**YOU… LITTLE… FOOL! I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE THIS FORM YET! I WANTED YOUR TAILS FIRST! BASTARD BRAT!"**

Naruto was held up to the statue's face by the enormous fist. Four eyes were open, but instead of being merely stone, they appeared to be actual eyes. Each had a different color pupil and iris shape. The statue was staring at him. It was talking.

"**It doesn't really matter though. Your attack was the perfect opportunity for me. I went underground before your attack began, as soon as my water covered me. I knew your attack would incinerate the field and me, but it would also destroy the seals that I placed on this statue. It was my only chance to use the statue for what I had made it for all those years ago. It was designed to hold the souls of nine demons and a controller soul. The seals prevented the controller soul from being absorbed, but the instant your fire encompassed the last seal I had been absorbed. Now I am the vessel. I am an immortal being without limit! I have ten tails of chakra at my disposal!" **As if to prove his point, ten tails of different colors came out of the ground behind the statue. The arms lifted out of the ground, a leg came up to lift the rest of the stone body to the surface. The roof was still a fair distance away from the statue's head, but it's height was now greater then that of two Gamabuntas.

"**And now… I will kill you. I have no reason to keep you alive, because after the host soul is in, no more demons can be placed inside. So… die."** The statue threw Naruto into the wall. Strangely, though, Naruto was barely hurt. He smiled as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

"It looks like your new body is slower then before." Naruto disappeared before appearing on the statue's head. "Too b…" Suddenly chakra erupted from the stone he was standing on and he was thrown into the air. He managed to flip around to attach his feet to the ceiling.

"And maybe a little more powerful."

Naruto knew what to do. He had been waiting for his chance to use his traps he had set up earlier._ There has to be a weak point. The most likely one is his eyes, they are the only thing not made out of stone. But if I had a weak point, it would be well guarded. It doesn't even look like his arms can move that far in. Other three possibilities so far? Arm pits, groin, and knees. If only Hinata was here… she would know where the weak points are. _Naruto was ready to fight the best fight of his life.

* * *

"Is it safe to come out yet?"

"Yeah, let's see what happened."

Tsunade broke down the last obstacle in their way till the main tunnel. It appeared as if it had been made of butter and had been set out on a warm day. The inside of the tunnel was small then normal and the walls were still hot to the touch. Luckily, Gaara spread sand out on the floor to let them be able to walk. They reached the cavern to find the doorway almost half closed off by cooled molten rock. Jiriya was first through the opening he made in the entryway, only to stare at the strangest sight he had ever seen. The statue had come alive and had ten chakra tails coming out of its back. It was fighting with a very tiny appearing Naruto, who was fast, but looked like a fly to a man. Shikamaru smiled as he saw Naruto using the previous summons for what he though he would do.

"I knew it. That is one smart guy…"

"Knew what, Shikamaru?"

"When he was running around at the beginning and summoning nothing. He wasn't actually summoning _nothing._ He was summoning himself."

"What?"

"If Naruto is the Kyuubi, as it appears, then that would make him boss fox. So, if he summons himself, then he just appears where he was before. But everyone must remember that a summon can unsummon themselves at any time and go back to the point they were at before they were summoned."

"Which means…"

"Whenever Naruto is about to be smashed by that statue he just unsummons himself and appears back at where he summoned himself for that round. Then it goes back and back. He must have summoned hundreds of times, so he could dodge like that forever. It really is genius."

* * *

Naruto was panting slightly. He had been nicked once by a kick that had broken ribs and probably part of his leg, but the pain was easily overcome and he was already healing. It actually hadn't been intentional. He had dodged a punch with his summoning strategy and was right in the way of the foot. In short, he had almost been killed by being stepped on. He had attempted to hit the armpits first, but they proved completely immune to any attack. The knees and groin were the same. The eyes were tricky. Every time he got close to the head, a huge outburst of chakra would throw him backwards. _What to do? I can't even get close. Wait… if I can't get close to his head now… maybe… yeah, that might work. He is even in the perfect spot. _He began to charge up all nine tails with rasengans. "I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" Naruto jumped towards the head of the statue demon. This time he was ready for the chakra outburst. He unsummoned himself, and found himself almost underneath the large foot of the statue. "Rasengan Barrage!" Naruto shoved each ball of energy into, not the foot, but the ground around the foot. It immediately destabilized the earth the massive statue was on. Naruto unsummoned himself again as the statue fell sideways towards the crumbling footing._ If I can't get to the head, I will bring the head to me._ Naruto was immediately where he knew the head would land. Most of the statue's chakra was being poured into lessening the impact. A smaller burst of chakra came from the head as it neared him, but Naruto held his ground. He had four rasengan on his tails, each as large as one of the eyes. The head crashed into the earth, nearly throwing Naruto into the air, but he used all the chakra he could channel into his feet to stay ready. He had already performed the time alteration jutsu as the eyes saw where Naruto was. Right in front of them. "Rasengan!" Naruto shoved the four balls of light into the four open eyes of the statue. The next thing he saw was a blinding white light.

Everyone else in the cavern also saw the light. It came exactly as the energy from Naruto collided with the eyes. It temporarily blinded them. When they opened their eyes they saw Naruto imbedded in the far wall. The statue, though, was done. Each eye was destroyed. Black blood spewed from the empty sockets and each of the ten tails on the back of the statue dissipated. The joints in the statue also leaked the black blood. It smelled of death. The statue began to crumble, beginning at its head and going down its body. It turned to dust and black blood. Each member of the rescue team looked up to where Naruto had last been seen. He was not there. Neji spotted him first with the Byakugan.

"Naruto!" He ran off in the direction of the center of the area. Naruto was kneeling as they had seen before, he was holding the kunai he had used to stab Madara to his heart. This time though, there was no Hinata. He looked up at Neji as he came into view.

"Neji… leave."

"Naruto, stop!"

"Shut up or I will kill you."

"Naruto! Stop it! There is still a chance…" Naruto was now in front of him with the kunai to his throat.

"What... what is there a chance for? Hinata died. SO BE QUIET AND LET ME DIE IN PEACE!" He walked back to where he had been kneeling.

"…The Naruto I knew wouldn't give up like that… Hinata can still be saved!" Naruto froze with his back to Neji.

"What…"

"Tsunade is willing to try a jutsu that can bring back to life recently dead people… but they are going to need you… they won't even try if you die or go crazy." As he spoke the tails facing him swished slightly less and lightened in color until it almost looked like he was back to normal. Naruto disappeared.

"What?"

Tsunade, Sakura, and Shizune were kneeling around the lifeless body of Hinata. They had closed her eyes for her, but hoped she would open them again. Everyone around was suddenly startled by the appearance of Naruto next to Tsunade. His eyes were still red, but his tails had started going back to their original color.

"Will it work?" Tsunade glanced up at him.

"Naruto… get a grip!" Tsunade slammed his face into the earth. "What? Did you think I would feel sympathetic for you? Sure, your wife died. So you go crazy? You have been living these past few days out of hate and rage, neither of which is a quality we search for in potential Hokages." She ground his face harder into the earth. "You and I are going to have a nice long talk about what we are going to do about your actions, whether or not this works." Tsunade released him and began some hand signs. Everyone was worried that Naruto would get up and kill the Hokage, but he didn't even move except for he began to sob.

"Let's begin." All three did the final hand sign at the same time. There hands glowed green, then blue. Each focused on a different part of the body. Tsunade repaired the heart, Shizune repaired her other internal organs, and Sakura repaired all of the cuts and dead skin cells. After a few minutes each began to sweat.

"L…lady Tsunade… I… am running out of chakra from healing Gaara."

"Me… too… Hokage…"

"I'm not doing to well with this either. I am only tapping into part of my life energy because I need to concentrate on the chakra…"

"H…here…" Naruto's muffled voice came from next to them. He wrapped a tail around each of them and began pouring his own chakra into the jutsu. With renewed vigor, the medics began the actual resurrection phase. They poured their life into Hinata's body, their very base of chakra. If they ran out of it in the process then they would die, and Hinata still might not be alive. They were like that for a minute.

"Something is wrong. We should have a heart beat by now. I feel like I am running low…"

"S…same…"

"Yes…"  
Naruto got up from where he had been and moved to Hinata. _To beautiful, even in death. You don't deserve it._ Naruto placed his hand on her head. _I am no healer, but if I pump enough chakra into your body it should reach your heart…_

_Hinata tackling him out of his swing, kissing him as she straddled his body._

_Hinata passing out in his arms._

_Hinata complimenting him._

_Hinata fighting for her honor._

_Hinata fighting for me._

"_Do you still love me?"_

"_Yes!"_

_Hinata saying "I Do"_

_Hinata…_

"I won't let you die! Otherwise… that whole… "till death do us part" thing… will be true…" Naruto put both of his hands on her shoulders. He began channeling chakra into her system. His hands glowed blue as he poured more chakra then the other three med-ninjas combined could possibly come up with. Tsunade stared at the weeping Naruto, his tears getting Hinata's clothes wet.

_If he keeps this up… wait…_

Thump…

_Was that…_

Thump…

"Naruto! Stop!" Naruto stepped back. He hadn't even known what he was doing, he was just acting on instinct. Tsunade leaned in towards Hinata's chest.

Thump…

Hinata's chest began to rise and fall. Naruto was once again at her side. Her eyes flickered.

"N…Naruto?"

"Hinata…" Naruto smiled again. He picked her up in his arms and gave her a soft embrace.

"Did… something… happen?" Hinata looked around at the faces of her friends, most of which were filled with tears. Jiriya, Shino, and Gaara had no trace of tears, though Jiriya had to turn around at one point, claiming he had something in his eye. Naruto just hugged her.

"Hinata… do you still love me? After all I did?"

"Naruto… how could I not love you?"

"…Thanks."

AN: See? Told ya. Epilogue next. Thanks for reading and reviewing…


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Thank you, everyone. For your wonderful reading and reviewing. Here is what happened after…

Epilogue: Peace

_With the return of Konoha's next Hokage came a time of peace. With the Akatsuki destroyed and the rouge village of Sound destroyed there were no more serious enemies to Konoha. The cloud and the rock ninjas soon allied with Konoha when they heard what had happened to Sound, even though it had been a horrible mistake on my part. After serious discussions with all of my friends and many long talks with Tsunade I was finally proclaimed physically and mentally fit to be the next Hokage. The Sixth. And so it was. Less then six months later I was being declared the Sixth Hokage of Konoha. As the fire shadow, I have led not only the fire country, but the entire continent in a time of peace. Due to the allying of the rest of the hidden villages with Konoha the lords of the countries were also forced to ally together. The whole land is now controlled by a joint counsel of officials from every land, while the five kages now have regular meetings. I have even made friends with many of them, especially the Kazekage._

_After that final battle with the Akatsuki the three valiant med-nin that had brought my wife back from the dead were hospitalized. None, though, had completely drained themselves of their life. Everyone who had seen me in my true form had been sworn into secrecy, though it became a moot point when I later decided to reveal my appearance to the city. I did so when I was explaining the death of Orochimaru to the public. The city to it better then expected. There were only a few people shallow enough to call me the demon I really was, even though I left out that part. _

_As For my friends_

_Sakura, my ever present friend and ally, is the head of the medic corps in Konoha. She manages her time well so that she can raise her two children and the three she adopted while also managing to teach classes._

_Lee never stopped training. He turned down a post in the ANBU seven times in order to train genin teams. He stopped wearing the green spandex when he married Sakura, I think that it was probably a deal they made. He still hasn't stopped talking about the springtime of youth and no one understands him still._

_Neji became an ANBU officer and is now the head of ANBU operations in the continent._

_Ten-ten became an ANBU directly underneath Neji for a time. Shortly after her appointment, though, she became engaged to Neji Hyuga. She is now raising their two children._

_Shikamaru was my chief military strategist for a few years before becoming the official diplomat to Suna. When he finally settled down he managed to marry Temari, who had not so patiently waited for him to set a date. When he didn't for two and a half years she finally submitted his resignation and eloped with him. I don't think that he was informed about the plan because I still have pictures of him being carried out of village tied up._

_Choji and Ino… never got together. I know, they looked so well together. Choji became the proud owner of a restaurant specializing in BBQ. He couldn't be happier._

_Ino went on to own her families flower shop. She found a husband in the unlikely place of Nano country who shared her love of flowers and violence._

_Shino married inside his clan and, upon reaching Jonin status, joined the ANBU. It suits him fine and he has the highest success rate of any of out ninjas right now._

_Hinata… well… I wish that I could say we lived happily ever after… so I will. Hinata resigned from being an active ninja a month after the final battle. Nine months after that we became the happy parents of a beautiful baby girl. Only a year later another was born. They couldn't be more different. Our first daughter, Chiyo, had my hair and eyes. She also had my ears and one of my tails. At first I was worried about how people would treat her, but they couldn't care less about her appearance. She is just as energetic as me, but her mother provides the perfect balance for her enthusiasm and always manages to calm her down when I just stir her up more. Our second daughter had her mother's hair and the Byakugan eyes, which I find beautiful. Her name was Kurenai, after Hinata's old sensei. She also had my ears and a tail, but hers were the same color as her hair, dark indigo. She had the same temperament of her mother and, even though they were complete opposites, she and her sister are best friends. Now we are expecting our third. Hinata hopes it is a boy, but I told her that I think another one that looked exactly like her would be fine. Just to add even more to the amount of beauty in my house. Husband points scored!_

_Where was I? _

_Jiriya and Tsunade. Those two just hang around Konoha drinking sake and teasing the youth. Jiriya uses old age as an excuse to somehow wind up in the woman's restroom. Tsunade, though, still manages to punch him through walls without hurting him or herself._

_The teachers?_

_Kakashi has taken up Jiriya's job… at writing dirty novels. Enough said._

_Kurenai teaches in the ninja academy on basic genjutsu._

_Iruka still teaches the same old class… I often drop by to play a prank or two._

_Thus ends the report of Naruto Uzimaku_

_Sixth Hokage of Konoha_

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Kurenai?"

"Done?"

"You bet!"

"Dinner?"

"Sounds great!"

"Piggy back?"

"Only if you promise to tell your mother how much you enjoy her cooking!"

"Yes!"

If a person looked close enough on any given day at the rooftops of Konoha they might see a blur of yellow streak past, usually accompanied by a child's laughter.

FINAL AN: That is it. Stay around for my next epic, Blind.


End file.
